


Passion

by Kaminx



Series: Forever & Always [1]
Category: Ai no Kusabi
Genre: Angst, M/M, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-13
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-08 22:19:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 24
Words: 44,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8865523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaminx/pseuds/Kaminx
Summary: What if Iason found Riki when Guy was planning on taking him to Dana Burn? What would change? How long would Iason get away with flaunting the rules? What would Iason give up to keep Riki by his side?





	1. Retrieving the Pet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is one of my first completed ones from 2012! Enjoy and tell me what you think :3

Iason leaned back into the chair, his fingers tapping against his table in agitation. A wave of panic and nausea rolled over him as he imagined something happening to his Mongrel. He just had a feeling that something wasn't right...maybe he was malfunctioning?

The holophone rang and he answered. "Katze?"

"I've received a call of someone reporting a boy matching Riki's description being followed after work, and then going into an alley."

"Send me the coordinates," he demanded, jumping to his feet—the first ungraceful movement of his entire life. I knew it! he internally yelled. Riki what's going on!

—

"Forgive me, Riki," Guy whispered, gently picking up the fallen body of his ex pairing partner. He caressed the sweet Mongrel's face, planting a kiss on his cheek. "I'm only doing this because I love you, please try to understand. Please, please, just try to understand." He pulled out a needle, disconnecting the end from the sterile tip before injecting it into the boy's inner elbow. Just to be safe...

He carefully lifted up the body, carrying it to the back of the bike. After laying him down, he carefully put a helmet on Riki's head, stopping to stare at his precious' sleeping face. A wave of sadness hit him yet again, "Why did it have to be him? Why do you have to want that cruel fucking Blondie? Why couldn't you just..." he shakily implored, tears welling up in his eyes. "Hey, Riki?" He grabbed onto the helmet, placing his forehead against it, "Why won't you just come back? You don't have to live that life! I'd work hard just so you could smile. Just so the source of your happiness wasn't that blonde bastard."

Riki didn't move, or say the magic words Guy so desperately wanted to hear. He was a mess, his mind was in overdrive, nothing mattered except getting Riki to the hide out in Dana Burn and freeing him from the Blondie's clutches forever.

"Riki..." he sobbed, hugging his love so tightly in his shaking arms. He slouched down along the side of the abandoned alley, holding his beloved in his arms as he debated continuing. "What am I doing...?!"

Iason hurried to the area, praying that his Mongrel was just out walking and the whole thing was a misunderstanding. He looked like such a pathetic Blondie, running down the streets to find a Pet! His pride was going to the dumps with each step. He'd be a laughing stock when the others found out.

He turned a corner, immediately stopping as he spied a familiar figure. That was Riki's ex pairing partner, wasn't it? His eyes fall on the body sprawled on the bike, his breath catching. Riki...!

Fury took over him, with lightning speed he raced over. With one swift motion he sent Guy flying across the asphalt, a loud thud and 'Oof!' sounding.

"You bastard!" Iason hissed, grabbing Riki into his hands that were shaking from fear and anger. "Riki..."

"Get your hands off him!" Guy yelled, wobbling to his feet. "You've ruined him! You've ruined everything!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Iason dismissed. "I've simply shown Riki what he truly desires. Which is not being with the likes of you!"

Guy gnashed his teeth, "You don't know anything. Riki was mine! And you just came along and fucking took him from me!"

"I merely gave him the taste of another life and the option to choose which he preferred. And he came back to me," he defended, positioning Riki like a princess in his arms. He pulled off the helmet and threw it aside. "You don't know what Riki truly desires."

"It's not you! The Riki I know would never choose the likes of you!" Guy snapped, jolting up to grab back his lover.

Iason smoothly moved away, dodging Guy and letting him hit a brick wall behind them. "People change and evolve to their surroundings," Iason coldly explained. "Riki has adapted to being by my side. Even if he returned to you, he'd still belong to me."

Guy slammed his fist on the ground, "No...he doesn't..." He launched himself at Iason, "Belong to you!"

Iason swiftly and gently maneuvered Riki to the ground, before grabbing hold of Guy by his neck and squeezing. "You will always be a problem for me, as long as you're alive you will be a road block in Riki and my relationship." He gripped tighter, "Shall I kill you now? Put you out of your misery, so you won't have to live a life without him?"

Guy grabbed onto Iason's gloved hands, "I...will kill...you...!"

The Blondie scoffed, dropping Guy to the ground. "You can't even succeed in a relationship, you think you can take me down. Boy?"

"God...dammit!" Guy choked, staring up at Iason with his cloudy blue eyes. "Give him back already!"

"He is mine, nothing you ever do can change that!"

"Give him...back!" Guy screamed, crawling towards Riki with his arm outstretched. Iason stepped on the limb, crushing the bones under the force and causing Guy to release a bloodcurdling scream of pain.

Iason knelt down in front of the writhing Guy, "You've done and said enough. You are no longer necessary."

"You bas—" The Blondie landed a powerful kick to side of the boy's head, causing him to silence upon impact and flop over like a doll.

"What a mess..." Iason murmured, staring from Guy to the bike to Riki. He sighed, dialing up Katze on his wristband. "Katze, I found Riki. But there's a bit of a mess, come clean it up while I take Riki back to Eos." He hung up before the redhead can respond, turning on his heel to walk back to Riki. "You kept me waiting, Riki..."

He elegantly scooped the Pet into his arms, holding the warm body against him. Thank Jupiter he was alive and well! Maybe his malfunction had saved the Mongrel from some grim fate! He hugged the Pet tighter, hurrying over to his air car to take them both home.

—

Riki opened his eyes, the roof spun like a top causing him to clutch his stomach and throw up. The sound of liquid and chunks splattering across the floor echoed throughout the clear walled Pet room. Damn it...what's... happening...?

"Riki!" a distorted voice called, demanding his eyes to slowly zoom in on the figure rushing towards him.

"Ia...son?" he slurred, another wave of nausea hitting him as he moved too quickly. He weakly pushed away from Iason, once again throwing up on the floor. Don't touch me...you'll get...dirty...!

The Blondie grabbed onto him, regardless of the disgusting state the Pet is in. "Riki, close your eyes. The drug effects will lessen if you don't move."

He obeyed, closing his eyes from seeing everything. The nausea lessened greatly, allowing him to begin collecting his thoughts, "Where's...Guy...?"

Iason stiffened, anger taking over him as his Pet still wants to know where the son of a bitch was. "Interrogation."

"What...?" Riki mumbled, his eyes opening slightly. Iason gently slid them down with his gloved fingers.

"Just rest, Riki," he instructed, sliding into the bed alongside the Pet. He pulled him into his lap, but this time is was different from the punishment position. He moved Riki so the Mongrel's head is resting against his chest.

"I'm so...confused..." Riki panted, his face contorting to pain as the heat of nausea and a fever hit him.

"Just stay," the man whispered, wrapping his arms around the Mongrel. "I want to hold you for awhile." He kissed the boy's hair, "You caused me great worry, Riki. And I do not appreciate it."

"Sorry..." he softly apologized, his mind cluttered from the heat and nausea.

"I'll forgive you when you're conscious, so rest."

"Kay..." he agreed, nuzzling into the hold of the Blondie. He had a nagging fear that if Iason hadn't found him when he did that they both might not be alive.

—

Once again he opened his eyes, the world now crystal clear. He slowly sat up, realizing that Iason had slipped away while he was out cold. He reached up and touched his head, wiping off the cold sweat from when the drug was still active in his system. His hand slid down to meet the familiar black collar and chain, both of them confining him to the Pet bed.

Iason stepped in, stopping when his eyes realized that his Pet was now in fact awake. He had checked on him at least a dozen times, he was worried beyond relief. He had wanted to check Riki into the Pet Medical Hospital to monitor his vitals, but he also wanted to have his Pet be the only thing he saw when he awoke. "Riki..." he breathed, striding over to the Mongrel in a few steps. He hugged him tightly against his body, relief taking over every piece of him as he realized his Mongrel was truly safe in his arms.

Riki accepted the hug, not fighting it like he usually would. He too was feeling something inside of him that made him need reassurance. "Iason...I'm sorry..."

"You kept me waiting, don't you ever do that," he growled coldly, pulling back from the Mongrel to scold him with his harsh blue eyes. But he hugged him again. "Don't you ever make me worry like that again."

"I'm sorry," the boy repeated, wrapping his arms around Iason.

"You'll have to prove how sorry you are," the Blondie snapped, ripping the green gown off the Pet's body before he slid his fingers along the chain, pulling roughly. "You'll be even more sorry when I'm finished."

To Be Continued


	2. Unfair Punishment

Riki's screams fills the room as he struggles as Iason thrusts inside him mercilessly and unexpectedly. His face rubs against the sheets as the Blondie grips onto his bound hands, preventing him from sitting up. "Stop! Stop, Iason!"

Iason clenches his teeth, thrusting harder and faster inside the clenching and quivering entrance. The sounds of smacking skin along Riki's gasps and screeching fill the air, fuelling him along with his anger to continue. "Are you sorry?"

"GAH..y...yes!"

"No, you're not," he denies, roughly flipping the Mongrel over onto his back. "Not yet." He thrusts inside hard and pauses, before ripping out his erection all the way and then thrusting it back in.

"ACK...AAAH..!" Riki shrieks, the pain from Iason's mildly wet length poking his deep sensitive insides stealing his breath.

The Blondie abrasively grabs onto Riki's hips as he towers over him, slapping their skin together as he thrusts with inhuman speed. He smacks his hand hard against the boy's ass, adding more pain to the agonizing experience.

"AAAH...AAAGH!" the Mongrel screams, writhing in agony as Iason's erection drills inside his raw insides. He grips onto the sheets for dear life, trying to gather reassurance from something, anything to help the pain! Something warm trickles inside him, "IASON! STOP!"

Iason stills behind him, a wave of pain floods through Riki as the shock disappears. A sob breaks free from the Mongrel, his frame shaking in the Blondie's grasp. He kicks away, flipping onto his stomach as he lays helplessly on the sheets.

"I...I'm sorry...dammit..." he cries, the sheets getting wet from his tears and runny nose.

The gloved hands snake around him, embracing him tightly from behind. "Riki..." the man breathes, "Riki...Riki..."

Hearing that voice, Riki's blood runs cold. Iason sounded upset, and that troubled him. It was as if he had actually been worried to death by his short absence, even though nothing had really happened to him. "Iason..." he chokes, trying to face the Blondie. Iason pulls back, his breath catching as he watches the drops of crimson plop onto the white sheets. "Iason, I'm sorry..." he repeats, staring into the guilty blue eyes.

"Riki..." the Blondie manages, "Riki I...I've..."

"You bastard," he moans, turning to confront the blonde. "You were so rough! It hurts!"

"Cal!" Iason calls, rearranging his clothing while Riki turns to tentatively sit on the bed with his knees to his body. The Furniture hurries in, immediately freezing when he sees the blood. "Get the healing salve, now." He's gone in an instant, disappearing through the portal he just came through.

"Ow..." Riki moans, his insides pulsing in pain as the crimson keeps spilling out.

"Riki, lay down," Iason pleads, pushing him flat, "It will slow the blood flow."

He grips onto his hips, trying to sooth the pain that spikes through him. "Ow...ow..." He feels something almost pop inside of him, causing a surge of pain to steal his breath as he writhes in agony.

"Riki!" Iason worriedly exclaims, rushing back to the Pet's side. "Riki, what's wrong?"

"Something just...haaa..." he pants, gripping onto his stomach. "It's fine, it's fine."

Iason watches in horror as the crimson continues to drip slowly onto the sheets. "Cal!" On cue, the Furniture returns with the salve, and a wet cloth. He presents them to Iason, who snatches them away. "Contact Raoul and notify him, just in case." Cal nods, hurrying away through the portal again.

"I'm fine!" Riki snaps, trying to sit up. Iason pushes him down.

"You are bleeding, what if you have internal bleeding Riki?" He slides glove along the skin and carefully spreads the Mongrel's hole. A glob of blood oozes out, he swiftly wipes it away, peering inside with his advanced eyes. There appeared to be irritation and a bit of damage to the insides, but nothing that was life threatening. He exhales in relief, sitting up while closing his eyes to thank Jupiter that he didn't harm him that badly. He had been rough before, but he had used too much force along with the width of his penis this time.

"Now leave me alone," Riki hisses, closing his legs and weakly trying to get away.

Iason immediately scoops him up into his arms, "We need to clean the inside."

—

"Enough! I can do it myself!" Riki protests, sitting on the chair in the corner of the shower.

Iason steps in between Riki's legs, wearing his under clothing of a navy turtle neck and leggings. "I hurt you, let me..." He grabs onto the shower nozzle, adjusting it to the right settings.

"You don't have to...!"

The blonde spreads his legs, gently spraying the boy's hole. Riki squirms, trying to get away from the humiliating act. Iason calmly spreads the twitching hole, spraying the water inside. Crimson tainted water leaks out onto the white flooring.

"If you're trying to be nice to make up for it you can stop!" Riki snarls, trying to hit the Blondie away. "I did nothing to deserve punishment! Nothing, you bastard!"

"Riki..." Iason breathes, "I wrongfully punished you. I'll admit it. So just let me..." He would never apologize, as an Elite he should never have to apologize for anything he did to his pet.

"Just go away!" the Mongrel hisses, "I don't want you here right now." He quickly tries to think of a way to get rid of him, "Raoul probably wants to talk to you, so just leave, dammit!"

Seeing that his presence was not remedying the situation, he vows to make up for it later. "As you wish, pet."

—

"What is this about?" Raoul asks bluntly, peering at the fellow Blondie through the screen.

"I was rather rough with Riki, and he was bleeding," Iason answers, leaning back in his chair. "I was worried that I had ruined his insides, so I called you before I checked him."

"And?"

"He'll be fine."

"Then I have other things to do," the green eyed Blondie answers, "Take care. Maybe we can drink together sometime?"

"I'll take you up on the offer, thank you." The screen disappears, leaving him all by himself. He tilts his head back and closes his eyes, it wasn't that he had wanted to harm Riki, it was just that he was so angry and ended up using his pet as his outlet.

Cal walks across the room, gently setting a glass of wine down at the table. Iason opens an eye, raising an eyebrow to the action that hadn't been requested. "Forgive me, but I thought a drink might be to your liking." He bows low, "Punish me if it is not what you desired."

In all truth, he had wanted a drink. He had wanted something to take his mind off of his regret, so the Furniture had done something that was frown worthy, but appreciated.

He nods, "That will do." Cal immediately straightens up and vanishes from his sight. 'Perceptive little one.' He takes the glass and let's the familiar taste fill his mouth, anything would be welcome if it helped him ease his mind. The whole thing could have turned out worse, he should be optimistic that Riki was with him and he hadn't damaged him as much as he could have.

Riki appears, dressed in only his black pants. He scowls as he sees the Blondie, before hobbling out to the balcony. Within moments, Iason detects the faint scent of cigarette smoke.

He rises up, heading towards the balcony doors to join his pet. Riki ignores him completely, taking another puff of his cigarette. Iason leans against the wall, "Are you still upset with me?"

"Yes," he immediately hisses back, taking the cigarette out. "I'm very upset."

"I already said I was wrong, pet. What more do you want?"

"I'm not just upset at you," Riki snarls, putting the cigarette back. "I'm upset at you for blaming me for something I didn't have control over and I'm upset at..." He didn't dare say Guy's name, fearing Iason's unreasonable jealousy would get his ex pairing partner killed.

"Your ex pairing partner is in confinement," Iason calmly answers.

"Let him go..." Riki whispers, dropping his cigarette. He rushes up to Iason, clinging to his clothing, "Let him go, Iason."

"I'm going to question him," the Blondie continues, "We will know just what he had planned."

"Please, Iason!" the Mongrel pleads, "Don't do anything to him! Please!"

"It's been a long day," he ignores, "Let's retire for the evening, pet."

To Be Continued


	3. Changes Made

Cal stepped back after helping his Master slip into his outfit. "You are free to go now," the Blondie ordered, turning away from the Furniture. Cal bowed and disappeared from his sight, leaving him alone with Riki. He sat on the edge of the bed, gently reaching towards his troublesome Mongrel. "What am I going to do with you?" he breathed.

The inside of his mind was a battlefield, Riki and him had just progressed. He was working for Katze, and returning to his condo in Apatia like he was required. From what he could see, the pet was generally accepting of the decision.

But this incident ruined everything. Iason felt rage bubble under his skin... that damned ex pairing partner! He was a problem that needed resolution. But if he suddenly went missing or passed away Riki would know he was behind it, and wouldn't forgive him. Their relationship had just reached a comfortable resting spot, and this was going to test it.

Looking back at his precious pet one last time, he turned and left the room. Ready to go and confront the problem head on.

—

"Administer the drugs," Iason instructed, sitting in the chair so he was watching the large Mongrel in the chair on the screen fight in the straps.

The boy finally looked up at the screen to see the person's face they loathed. "Mink," Guy spat.

"Where were you taking Riki?"

"As if I'd tell you," Guy growled.

"Oh, but you will," he assured, turning his head to talk to the attendant. "Up the dosage."

Guy started to really fight against the restraints, but his movements only aided the drug in going through his systems. After a few moments, he suddenly went into the rag doll like form the drug would induce the person into.

"Now then, lets have you sing like a canary," Iason mocked.

—

Riki gripped his head, a pain coursing through his lower extremities. Iason didn't penetrate him again last night, they had truly gone to sleep, but he still hurt. He was surprised that the Blondie wasn't here, it seemed so wrong. And it was already late morning, how long had he slept?

He rolled out of the bed, his feet touching the floor, "Cal..." he weakly called. Surprise hit him as the small male walks into the room, carrying a cup of water that he was just going to ask for. "Thanks."

"Is there anything you'd like to eat, Master Riki?" he politely asked, stepping back.

"Nah," the Mongrel dismissed. "But I would like to go out."

"Master has left orders, I am to accompany you wherever you may go."

"Fucking perfect," he hissed, standing up and heading to the washroom.

—

He walked down the halls, his hands behind his head as he tried to wake up more. "Is there any place you had in mind to go to, Master Riki?" Cal asked, staring up at the Mongrel who was joined to him by a leash.

"Nope," he curtly answered, still walking down the main hall, feeling the mocking stares. "But I wouldn't mind a pack of cigs."

"If you wait right here, I will go get you some," the Furniture offered, gesturing to the spot to sit near the shop.

"Yeah, yeah, fine." He plunked down, folding his hand in his lap. "I'll be here."

—

"What would you like done with him, Sir?" the guard asked, watching them carry away the laughing ex pairing partner.

"Contain him for now," Iason decided. "I need to think this over."

"Yes, Sir."

Iason turned, exiting the room as he hurried off to the Syndicate meeting. He still couldn't believe the confession of the Mongrel, it proved how mad he had become. There was no way he was going to willingly leave him alive, regardless of Riki's wishes, unless he needed to use him as leverage.

—

Riki ran down the hall at full tilt, heading towards his only destination that would lead to freedom — the main doors. Cal frantically chased after him, desperately trying to coax him back to obedience. He just couldn't stop, he wanted to get away! All the stares, the whispers, the constant hate, everything was suffocating him! He wasn't welcome here, he never had been and especially now he was an outcast! He was a lion among the sheep, an old lion to boot. He was practically ancient compared to the young Pets of Eos, and they all stared at him like an outsider. He felt like all of his freedom that he had just got was slipping away and he wanted it back!

Security guards started joining in on the chase, soon cornering him. Cal tried to remedy the situation, talking to the cornered Mongrel in attempt to stop him from receiving the punishment. Security merely disregarded the Furniture, itching to get a few swipes in to the Mongrel for it's disobedience.

"Fuck off!" Riki yelled to the guards, struggling as he was grabbed from behind.

"W-wait!" Cal insisted, trying to get closer, but the guards continued to block his path. He heard the sound of the shock panels meeting the Mongrel's chest, and saw his responsibility droop like a rag doll. "No!"

—

"Is there anything else?"

Iason glanced down at the ring, the conversation with Guy shaking him inside again. The ring was the only thing definitely connecting him to his pet, to have it disappear...

A hologram popped up, interrupting the ending of the meeting. "Lord Mink, your pet has been captured by the front entrance." The scene of Riki running, Cal chasing and guards ending the whole thing flashed on the screen.

"I see your pet is back to normal," Raoul noted, watching the screen.

"He has yet again tested security," Iason countered. "It seems it took them a long time to catch him, why is that?"

Orphe's expression dropped, realizing that he is subject to the blame as security was his main forte. "I'll see to the problem investigated."

—

Iason hurried towards the isolation area, hoping to retrieve his Mongrel and spotted a scared Cal. "M...Master," the boy tentatively addressed. "They wouldn't listen to me."

"Where is he?"

Cal gestured to an area by the containment cells, his eyes followed and saw Riki being carried away. "Wait," he ordered in his frigid tone, causing the guards to turn around and bow. "Hand him over, I'll take him."

Immediately Riki was in his arms and Iason wasted no time carrying him away from everything. He slipped into a secret passage to avoid the looks of others as he carried Riki back to their room, he didn't need more rumors to start flowing around. Cal hurried behind them, fearing his punishment to come. He had made a grave mistake and would pay for it.

—

Fuck, I've really messed up, he thought to himself while he was still lost in the haze of unconsciousness. His body was hurting, badly. And that was without Iason's punishment. He wouldn't be able to move the time the Blondie had his way with him. Something warm met his face, but he didn't flinch due to being so out of it.

"Riki..." a familiar voice rang through the air and pierced his scattered brain.

His body began to regain his senses, and he realized his hands are bound above his head by the chains. Fuck, now he had a reason to be full of fear. He flinched as he felt Iason touch on his face, it was only a matter of time now that punishment would begin.

"Riki," Iason's cold voice called, becoming incredibly clear. His eyes opened and saw the Blondie staring at him, he wasn't happy to say the least. He moved his head away, only to have the gloved hand pull it back. "Why did you do that?"

A sharp pain sliced through his lower regions, causing him to jolt and yelp. "I...I had to...!"

"You had to run away and cause trouble right as soon as you returned?"

"M...my freedom...!" he sputtered, trying to scoot away from the furious Blondie.

"Has been revoked for now," Iason icily explained, causing Riki's heart to drop.

"No...no...!" He frantically tugged and yanked on the chains, squirming in attempt to escape. "Iason...I'm suffocating! I can't stay here!"

"You have to," the Blondie simply answered, shoving a finger inside the pet to still him. "Until everything is sorted out and I'm sure your not at risk you are staying under my care."

"No...hnnn!" he protested, his body tightening as the finger roughly assaulted his hole. He gasped and screamed as a wave of pain spiked through his penis from the ring. "Au...auugh..." he choked, writhing in agony. "Stop!"

"I sent Cal with you because I was worried about your safety, why did you run away and cause trouble?"

"Kuu...! Can't—stay here!" Riki moaned, squirming like a worm being fried on a grill. "Stop!" The pain vanished, immediately being replaced by immense pleasure that stole the boy's breath. He gasps, his head fell back against the pillows. Gloved fingers began playing with his erection, teasing the foremost sensitive areas. Soon he was ejaculating as his body shuddered.

"Riki," Iason breathed, tugging gently on his chin. "There have been complications in the area of your security. And I fear you being stolen from me. That is why I can't have you outside until I'm sure your pairing partner acted alone."

"Guy..." Riki breathed softly, emotions spiking through and overtaking him at the thought of his friend; panic filled his chest. "Iason, where is he?"

"You still care about him?" Iason growled, staring at the Mongrel with his icy blue eyes. Riki looked away, he didn't like the way Iason's gaze burned him, like someone was holding a match to his face.

"Just answer my question, where is he?"

"Containment," the Blondie bluntly answered. "Shall I send him off to Raoul's lab, or a brothel perhaps?"

"You wouldn't..."

"Do you realize what he was going to do to you, Riki?"

"He probably was gonna try and steal me," he guessed, trying to move, but couldn't due to the restraints.

"He was going to free you by killing me and himself."

Riki froze, "Stop lying...he'd never..." He started fighting against the holds, "He wouldn't!"

"It's the truth," Iason calmly answered. "He confessed this morning and someone reported seeing him around the place he was going to kill himself along with me."

"He'd never do something...!" He stopped, suddenly realizing that he didn't know what Guy was capable of. Maybe he really would have killed himself along with Iason? Panic yanked on his heart strings, tying them like shoe laces. He started to breathe heavier at the realization at how close he could've been to harm, death or a cruel freedom. And Iason! He had never wanted Iason dead!

"Riki," Iason called, grabbing onto the panting and wide eyed boy. Never had he seen Riki like this, he'd always mask his fear with bitterness, anger or frustration. He pulled him close, undoing the chain holding his hands up. "It's all right, I'm here." He slid the Mongrel's arms over his head so he was stuck to him. Running a gloved hand through the dark hair, he tried to ease the panicking pet. "I'm here, you're safe..."

Riki inhaled deeply, trying to reduce the panic and fear gripping onto him. He just wanted to go back to his apartment in Apatia and live peacefully. Granted, he was grateful for Iason coming to save him, but he didn't wish to return to Eos. He couldn't go anywhere with the suffocation...

The Blondie stood, holding Riki so their bodies are pressed together and the pet's legs were on either side of his body. He gently carried Riki out of the room, going through the portal to his own room. "Cal, get Riki a warm drink." He strode over to his bed, laying Riki down. "Just relax, I have to go arrange for some more protection for you. And I have to speak with Jupiter."

Cal softly padded over, carrying a glass of warm milk for Riki. He set it down on the bedside table, before bowing and disappearing.

Iason grabbed the glass, bringing it to Riki's lips. "Iason..." Riki breathed, his mind still running around in circles as he remembered seeing Guy for the last time. The warm and familiar taste filled his mouth as the cup was tipped, he sipped at it before pushing the empty glass away.

"Just relax for awhile longer, Riki," the Blondie advised. "You're going to need to behave and stay under this areas protection until everything is sorted out."

He hated that idea, but the Blondie sounded like he was pleading, so he nodded softly. "Kay..."

"Now just sleep," Iason's voice rumbled, the blue eyes watching as the pet's eyes close. He didn't want to drug Riki, but until he could ensure that everything was all right, he wanted to leave him contained. "Cal." The Furniture appeared, walking over and taking the drink from him. "You are also to blame for Riki running away."

"I am, Master," Cal answered softly, terrified of the punishment that would follow.

"Grab my wand," he ordered, standing up to go do punishment away from his pet. The Furniture followed behind, realizing that he had caused more trouble for his Master by neglecting his duties.

—

Iason stepped into the secret chamber of his creator, finally staring at the large for of the AI as she floated towards him and linked them together to communicate.

Hello, my child.

"Hello, Jupiter," Iason greeted back softly.

You are troubled, speak your mind.

"My pet has gotten himself into a bit of a situation, and I would like to negotiate with you."

What is it you need?

"I believe my pet is being targeted, and would like to provide him with protection when he is not in my presence," Iason explained.

Your pet was in Apatia and working, Iason. He is virtually not a pet at all anymore. Must you really provide more for the disobedient creature?

"I need him, Jupiter," Iason admitted quietly. "I cannot become the way I was before I met him again."

Jupiter flickered slightly as the AI processed what her son meant. What is it you need?

"I would like a body guard for Riki," Iason explained. "He needs someone escort and protect him while he is in Apatia."

I will arrange something. However...

"Yes?"

He has to become more of a pet again. In exchange for the escort and protection, he must come to Eos every other week and be a pet.

—

Riki wandered to the balcony again, smoking his fourth cigarette that morning. He knew that Cal was going to call him out on it eventually, but right now he didn't give a damn. He needed something to help him through the day. He was starting to feel sick to his stomach just thinking about everything, and it wasn't dispersing at all. If only he could ask Guy what he was thinking. He had hurt the relationship that Iason and him finally had going, and that pissed him off. He had finally thought everything would be OK. Hadn't he broken off the relationship when he left? But what would drive Guy to plan to kill himself and Iason?

A wave of weakness shook Riki's knees. No, Guy could never kill him though. Could he? Would that be something Guy would be driven to do as well? He dropped his cigarette as his knees hit the ground and he covered his mouth. Guy standing over him with a bloodied lazer knife filled his head as the friend whispered, I'll save you finally...

"Breathe, Master Riki!" Cal called, supporting him upwards. "Breathe in and out, in and out. Master Riki, please, calm down!"

Riki started to gasp for air, terrified of the imaginings in his head. They hadn't happened, so what was going on? What was this...this fear from his mind's creations?

"I'm...I'm fine..." he wheezed, glancing up at the terrified Furniture. He took a few deep breaths and then paced his hand on the boy's. "I'm sorry...I'm fine..."

"It's all right, Master Riki," the Furniture answered. "Shall I make you a warm beverage to help you?"

He didn't really want it, but because Cal was trying to help him, he agreed with a nod. Cal helped him up to his feet, and he steadied himself by grabbing onto the railing of the balcony ledge before the young boy left him.

"Shit," he cursed. "What was that?" Never had he seen that side of Guy before, a side that was so...so dark. Never had Guy acted that way towards him, so why was he so afraid? Sure, supposedly Guy had planned to kill Iason alongside himself, but was that true? And what if it had happened, what was Riki supposed to do? He couldn't be anything but Iason's pet, so how would he have survived?

Riki shook his head, no Guy would never do that, he was positive. When Iason came back he would plead for him to release his friend and hope that the AI would not revoke his new found freedom.

—

"No..." Riki whispered shakily, grasping onto his hair. "Iason...I can't...you can't..."

"It was the best I can negotiate for now Riki."

"I can't...go back to that..." Riki trembled, before glancing up into Iason's eyes. "I can't go back to being a pet! I can't! I can't!" He spun around and started towards the exit, but Iason swiftly caught him with his advanced speed and strength. "I can't! I can't go back to being...nothing! I am...!"

"Riki, shhh," Iason soothed, wrapping his arms lovingly around his shaking and crazed pet. "Calm down, calm down." He ran his gloved fingers through the boy's sweaty hair. "I know it is not the results you wanted, but it is the best temporary negotiation I could conjure up."

"I can't Iason, I can't!" Riki panicked. He couldn't go back to all the suffocating hate from the others around him, and the never ending sense of despair and hopelessness that dragged him down daily. He couldn't go back to being nothing, he had to be something or else there was no point to his life!

Iason calmly rocked Riki back and forth in his arms, "You won't be going back to that, Riki," he promised. "You will just pretend to be my pet for others to see. I would never put you in any shows or anything now unless I absolutely had to. You know that, don't you?"

"P—pretend?"

"You will be obedient and act as a pet outside of this premises, but inside you can be your usually self with me."

"I w—won't have to take any of those...or preform?"

Iason knew he was talking about having to take the drugs at Pet Soirees and participate. "No, Riki. I will not let you. You will sit by my side and be a pet from the sidelines." He paused, "Unless it is mandatory, but even then I will arrange for you to have the smallest dosage by using the excuse that it effects your health badly." Which wasn't a lie, technically, they had terrible affects on his well being. "Is that not good enough of a start? We just have to prove ourselves to Jupiter again, and I will be able to reason more freedom from here for you."

Riki knew it was the best he had right at the moment. "Kay..." he breathed, still shaking. "And...Guy...?"

"I will dispose of him..."

"Iason—!"

"If you do not agree to the terms," Iason finished, silencing the youth. "You are to be my obedient pet every other week, and you are to willingly go with the escort when you are not with me. Understand?"

"I'm not a fucking baby!" Riki protested. "I don't need protection!"

"Very well then," Iason agreed apathetically. "Where shall I send Guy? Perhaps a harem in Midas? Or maybe Raoul's lab? He was looking for a sturdy pet to try some new tests on..."

"Iason...please..." Riki pleaded, but then sighed. "Fine, I agree to the terms so please, so let him go!"

Iason nodded, "Very well." He would follow Riki's wish, but he would mind wipe Guy before he decided where to send him. Part of him wanted to keep him contained, but he would have to think on that further at another time. "Now come with me, I want to rest before I return to the office. I won't be back until sundown and I want to spend some time with you."

He carried his mongrel to the bedroom, where Riki laid in Iason's arms while the Blondie just caressed him gently. Iason was beginning to enjoy these quiet moments more and more. He never wanted them to end.

To Be Continued


	4. Agreements Reached

"I am Nao, I will be your personal escort and protection," the silver suited boy introduced, bowing to his Masters. He was about Riki's age with dark brown, almost black hair and hazel eyes that twinkled with mischief, all on top of a toned and strong build beneath the suit. A weapon of some sort was encased in a black container held by a belt around his right leg. Past his black gloves on his left hand was a wrist band with a screen, probably for some communication or back up system. "I'm honored to be providing my expertise in protection for you, and will lay my life down to ensure your safety."

"That's a bit much," Riki commented, a bit uneasy by how ready this guy whom he just met was to take a bullet for him.

Iason looked into the boy's eyes. "I'll make myself clear, if anything happens to him while in your care consider yourself dead. Your job is to protect him and if there is ever an incident in which that is not done properly, you will regret it."

"Yes, Master Mink, I will do everything in my power to protect your dear Pet," he vowed, bowing low to them.

The blonde gave a satisfied nod, "You are relieved from your task until next week. I trust you will be familiarizing yourself with possible threats and routes that Riki will be taking."

"As you wish, Master." He bowed once more, before turning to head off on his task.

"Iason, I really don't..."

"Don't even start."

"I don't need a bodyguard!" he protested.

"Oh? So you don't care about Guy's fate?"

"And if I say I don't?" he challenged, knowing he'd fight for Guy to be released.

"Brothel, Raoul's lab, mindless sex doll, or dead," Iason listed. "Which one would you prefer?"

Riki scowled, "Fine. But you'd better let him go, Iason. If I ever find out you went back on our agreement I will never forgive you."

"Have I ever gone back on my word?" the blonde inquired. "Now that we have an agreement, come. We are going out for awhile. Work was hard yesterday and today and I haven't spent much time with you. We can go out for supper."

"Great," Riki sarcastically mumbled, totally loving the idea of having to follow Mr. Elite around like a fucking puppy as he goes to God knows where.

"We'll stop at your favorite restaurant once I'm finished my business, all right?" He kissed the boy's forehead, trying to disperse the downward arch of the eyebrows.

"Whatever."

—

Riki rolled over, distancing himself from his Blondie Master. Immediately he was pulled close by the blonde, and he started to struggle. "Let go," he hissed bitterly.

"Why are you upset?" Iason questioned. "You've been cold towards me all evening." He gently caressed the young man, "What's wrong?"

He cringed, remembering all of the stares and whispers as he walked down the halls and alongside Iason. God how he hated it! How could he be the perfect pet when he felt like killing every whispering pet in the halls? But if he did then he'd be stuck here forever! He only had to last the days he was to be here, then he could be free! Then he could be on his own again in Apatia, no hateful stares while he roamed to and from work. And the occasional stare was something he could handle, but not the endless ones that Eos seemed to produce! And he hated that he had to be a pet again! Why was everything slipping from his fingers?

"Riki?"

"Nothing! Nothing is wrong!" Riki hissed, trying to wiggle away. "God you're fucking clingy!"

"Clingy?" Iason repeated, pushing Riki away completely. "Very well."

Riki blinked in surprise and watched Iason turn his back from him, and was even more surprised to find that the action had hurt him. Was he seriously blocking him out now? After all the talk of not leaving him. Then again, Riki hadn't been the kindest to Iason even after all he'd done. He rolled to the far edge of the bed, maybe a bit of distance would help?

—

Riki sat up, noticing that the bed was empty. "Cal!" he called.

Cal appeared, "Yes, Master Riki?"

"Where did he go?"

"He went to work, Master Riki," Cal explained. "And he said that he would not be back until late."

Riki gritted his teeth and threw a pillow across the room. "Fuck sake!" he spat as he jumped to his feet, storming past the Furniture.

"M-Master Riki?"

"Get my jacket."

"I can't let you go out on your own," Cal reminded.

"Get me my fucking jacket, Cal!" Riki demanded, striding forward and pushing the eunuch into the wall.

Cal shrunk away, but obeyed and got the boy's jacket and handed it over. He watched Riki slip into it and then try to exit, but the portal denied him the permission. He watched the youth cuss and try again and again. "It's locked, Master Riki."

"I know, dammit!" he snapped. "Fucking open it!"

"I can't, Master Riki."

Riki clicked his tongue, pushing the Furniture to the side and storming back to his room. He returned with a few digital devices and tools, immediately starting to hack through the codes and rewrite the locking mechanism.

"You can't!" Cal protested. "Please, Master Riki!" He hated the thought of having to use the wand on Riki, but he couldn't just let him leave...!

"I'm going for a walk, Cal," Riki hissed, pushing him away roughly and snatching the wand and throwing it to the other end of the room. "I'm not repeating those months of being on a leash just to prove myself worthy of being with Iason. I'd rather fucking die." He stepped closer to the now unlocked exit. "I'm just going for a fucking walk on my own."

Cal got up, watching the portal finally sound and Riki step through. He was at a loss for words, he couldn't do anything against Riki.

—

Riki sighed, walking down the hallway and heading to the "pet friendly" areas, so he wouldn't get into too much shit for breaking the rules. He just needed to go to the Eos Conservatory for a walk, and he'd prefer it be alone. He slipped into the area after walking through the dreaded hall ways. Immediately the luscious and green vegetation around him brought a calmness to his soul. This was the only place he felt he could actually breathe in Eos.

"Master Riki?" a voice called out.

Riki turned, prepared to see Cal, but instead saw Nao. "What the fuck? You aren't supposed to be here!" he hissed.

"I was observing the areas in Eos as well," Nao answered bluntly. "Are you not supposed to be with an attendant?"

"Piss off." Riki turned away, walking further down the path into the green jungle of trees that were dripping with perspiration and producing a sweet smell. Couldn't anyone understand that he just wanted to be the fuck alone?

He glanced back over his shoulder and saw the young man, walking a few paces away from him, watching his every move. God dammit! He hated this already and they weren't even outside of Eos! Riki angrily left the gardens area and headed back in the direction of the Mink's residence. It seemed the only place he could be alone was locked in his fucking pet room.

—

"Where is he?" Iason inquired, shrugging out of his cloak and allowing Cal to take it. "And how did he get out? I was notified he left, but I had locked the portal."

"I apologize, Master," Cal answered, bowing after he hung up the cloak. "He tampered with the portal and got out. But he came back shortly after and was incredibly upset."

"What happened?" Iason queried, shrugging off the fact Riki got out. He knew his pet was talented with technology, therefore he would have to strengthen the protection on the portal. "I did not receive any notification of him getting into trouble."

Cal shook his head, "He did not say. He entered and headed to his room and has holed himself up. Master Riki did not come out even to eat, meaning he has not eaten at all today."

Iason nodded, dismissing the Furniture to continue his tasks while he went to confront Riki. He entered the pet room through the portal, not shocked to find the pet curled up on the bed. His boots clicked sharply on the ground as he approached the sleeping mongrel. "Riki?" he called, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Riki emitted a groan, but did not awake.

"Riki," Iason repeated in a sharper tone.

The dark lashes fluttered open to reveal the drowsy black orbs. "Mmmm?" he mumbled, but then realized who was with him. "What?"

"You have some explaining to do."

Riki sat up, ready to fight with his venomous tongue. "And why exactly is that?"

"You tampered with the portal and left when I had purposely locked it to keep you contained," Iason darkly answered.

"You can't keep me fucking cooped up, Iason! I was free to move around a bit just a few days ago!" Riki spat. "I can't just be expected to give up what I had!"

"You can and will," Iason countered, reaching to push Riki down. "I think you need to be reminded that during this time, you are to be obedient." He slid a finger inside his defiant pet, worming it around until Riki was writhing. "Why do you make everything so complicated?"

"Fucker! I just don't want to be here!"

"Why? So you can be away from me?"

Riki choked slightly, did he want to be away from Iason? No. No, he didn't want that...

"What is it pet, no answer?" Iason growled, adding another finger.

"No, dammit!" Riki moaned. "Not you—ahh!"

Iason stopped. "Oh? You don't wish to be free from me?"

"When you're like this, yes!" Riki spat, moving his hips away from the intrusion. "But does the fact I came back to you, not mean that I accepted the fact I was your...?" He ground his teeth. "Pet."

"You're not accepting it right now."

"Yeah, because before I was still your pet and actually had work!"

"You do have work, Riki," Iason countered, towering over Riki. "Right now your job is to be my obedient pet and next week your job is to be an obedient worker. Have I not explained this? Can you not see I'm doing everything in my power to change the rules for you?"

"I can't do this anymore," Riki sighed. "I can't go back to being captive, Iason."

"Is being in Eos for a week really that unbearable?"

"Yes!"

Iason blinked. "I see." He rammed his fingers inside, stroking the younger male's prostrate repeatedly. "Then shall I help make it bearable?"

—

Riki panted, not even able to move after all that Iason had done to him. The Blondie had thoroughly abused and pleasured him, taunting and evoking the feelings of pleasure and pain with the simple movements of his hands on his tanned skin. Riki was tired, hungry and unable to move due to the soreness below.

His eyes wandered and he was surprised to find the Blondie entering with a tray of food which was set in front of him. Iason sat on the edge of the bed and strategically placed the tray and pulled Riki up into a sitting position so he was leaning against the headboard. As much as he was surprised, he couldn't even muster up reaction of shock in his dulled and subdued state.

"Open, Riki."

Riki blinked and saw the spoon full of a delicious smelling soup being brought to his lips, and with a hard effort, he pried his dried lips apart. The warm soup slid down inside him and seemed to aid his aching throat. It was delectable, as expected from the highly skilled Furniture of Lord Mink. Riki found himself leaving his lips partially open for more to enter into him, since his body was numbed from the exhaustion and pain.

"Good boy," Iason praised, continuing to feed the obedient pet.

Riki hated it, but he was in no position to put up a fight. God knows what the Blondie would do to him if he fussed right now, he already had a harsh number done on him and he feared if he earned another, he might break.

After the feeding session was over, Iason moved Riki back into his spot on the large bed and covered him with the sheets. Not a single protest left the mongrel's lips, which proved just how tired Riki really was. Iason freed himself from his clothing and slide into bed, pressing a switch to dim the lights and clicking a remote to activate the stereo system in his room to play a variety of soft music from violin songs to smooth jazz for a brief amount of time to aid in the relaxation of both him and Riki.

When he finally moved closer to the dark haired boy, assuming their usual spooning position he heard a soft mewl of protest as he accidentally bumped his lower half into Riki's back. "Shhh," Iason soothed, nuzzling into Riki and wrapping his arm around him so he could lay his large and slender fingered palm upon the tanned chest. "I am too tired to do anything. I just wish to hold you close."

Such a powerful heartbeat, Iason admired. Beneath his palm Riki's heart had picked up speed in fear, but was slowing down now that he knew he was safe. Each thump sent a powerful movement against Iason's skin. He had often stopped to ponder and be fascinated by the human bodies and how something so sophisticated was not created by an Artificial Intelligence like he was.

And what was more fascinating was the diversity of each human. All with their different goals, ideas, thoughts, passions and creativity in everything they did. He was given the role of being a leader by design, and his job was predetermined, so there was no other way of living for him. But humans...they had the freedom to do whatever they wanted within their legal rights. And they all brought their own takes on everything to the table. It was interesting and somewhat tragic at the same time. Without a purpose given to some of the humans, they had no job and nothing to live for. Much like how Riki was when Iason had found him. He was selling himself on the streets, fighting, drinking and not really progressing with his life.

Iason blinked, realizing then why Riki was eager to go back to his job. Riki had no real job in life before he had met Iason and was hired by Katze, meaning he had no real purpose. And Riki despised being a pet, meaning that was not what he believed to be his purpose in life even though he begrudgingly did it. By keeping him in Eos again, was he stealing Riki's new found life from him? It would be as if he had lost his position as a leader of the Syndicate and was forced into a lower position, he would be stripped of his purpose and true potential and that would be a horrible mistake.

Riki's body may be perfected for being a pet, but his mind was not. That was made him such an interesting puzzle to Iason and why he was different from the other pets. Riki needed to have another job other than being a pet to maintain the balance within him; a job to ease his mind and the task of being a pet to aid his sexual needs. Without another task, Riki would get bored and agitated easily, which led him to being depressed and frustrated like he was today.

Iason nodded to himself, convinced it was the best thing for Riki to continue working and being his pet so that the balance could be maintained properly and none of Riki's needs were neglected. Riki needed to feel he had a purpose as well as be the pet that three years of training had been made him to be. And now he wouldn't have to rush to Apatia to see him, he would just have to diligently await his return and monitor him.

—

Riki grimaced as he was led down the hall with Iason, his hair slicked back and his black, skin tight leather outfit leaving little to the imagination. His plodding slightly behind Iason contradicted the elegance of the Blondie that he emitted with each step. He fucking hated pet soirees, but he had no say as this was a mandatory one. He glared at the whispering pets who watched him arrive, daring them to keep talking.

A sharp tug to the collar cut off his airways and he glared up to Iason who was demanding obedience with his ice cold blue eyes.

"Iason," Orphe called. "Pleasure to have you attend."

Iason nodded, settling down in a luxurious chair and guided Riki to sit down at his feet. "How could I refuse an invitation after so long?"

—

"I need the money up front," Nao demanded. "I'm not doing my job if I ain't getting paid."

"I assure you, you will get your money," the figure on the screen insisted. "Firstly, you must prove to the two of them that you are the real deal. You are Nao Reyes, the highly trained body guard from the top security Academy in Midas."

"I know my cover story," he hissed.

"You mustn't slip up at all, Arai," the figure reminded tersely.

"I know," Arai growled. "We've been through the training! And you've already installed the device, so there will be no chance of messing up."

"Give them time to settle in, adjust to your presence and gain trust." The figure reached up to turn off the screen. "We will talk again when you have accomplished this."

To Be Continued


	5. Deception Grows

Riki watched as the pets walked around the stage, showcasing their perfection in every movement and flip of their hair. They all gave off the same sickening vibe—ethereal sublimity and the epitome of youth. It made Riki want to hurl, how they so willingly exposed themselves in attempt to one up the pet beside them and have their Master be recognized as having the best one of them all.

"Your pet is not participating, Iason?" Gideon commented, noticing Riki hunched over with his knees tucked against his chest as he watched with disinterest.

"He is not fit to participate," Iason calmly brushed off. "The recent incident has left him a bit shaken up and he was not prepared for tonight's show." He dipped his hand down and ran his slender fingers through the black hair. "But we simply could not refuse tonight's invitation, so I have brought him in hopes that observing will help him recover."

Lying prick, Riki hissed internally and winced as Iason delivered a sharp and subtle tug to his hair as if he had heard him.

"A shame," Orphe pitched in. "Hopefully he recovers soon. I've heard that there are more requests to have your pet bred with others to produce pups."

Riki stiffened, there was no way in hell he would wish the life of a pet upon his children. What if one of the new rules of him being here was that he had to breed? What would he do? He wouldn't ever willingly partake. Would they pump him full of drugs and have the other parties straddle him as he was restrained and rape him until he came? Would Iason let that happen?

Sensing his pet's distress and noticing the mongrel pale a shade lighter, he blankly looked to Orphe. "I have said this more than once, Orphe. Riki is not going to be bred with anyone." Riki looked up to Iason, a bit of twisted gratitude inside of him. He was glad Iason wasn't willingly going to consent to him being raped, but he was also partially upset that he was again in the position of being treated like a pet—and a fuck toy for a Blondie at that. "Do not make me repeat myself again, Orphe."

"Ah, but Iason," the fellow Blondie countered. "As I was informed, your pet is going to revert to the normal pet conducts and regulations." He sipped his glass of wine with defined grace. "Meaning he has to breed if he will be treated as if he were any pet within Eos, if Jupiter has informed us correctly."

"I hate to disappoint you, Orphe," Iason responded, sarcasm dripping from his tone. "But what you have been told is falsehood. I am going to say this one final time and wish you will pass it to the breeders who are interested." He glared at the Blondie. "Riki is not appropriate material for breeding and therefore he will never partake in such an activity."

Orphe leaned back, masking his agitation at his brother's defiance, but accepted the inevitable—for now.

—

Riki followed behind Iason, stepping into the penthouse portal and then waiting for his Master to undo the collar. He was perplexed when the Blondie just froze. "Uh...Iason? Can you undo the leash since were...inside now?" That was when he realized Iason was very upset, and he took a step back in fear. Last time something along the lines of him going to a pet soiree occurred, Iason had raped him mercilessly because he was angered. "I...Iason?"

Slowly, almost too slowly and mechanically, the Blondie turned around and burned Riki with his heated gaze. Riki wasn't surprised to find his face nearly touching Iason's as his chin was gripped by the silken gloved hand. "You belong to me," he hissed frigidly, tightening his grip painfully.

Riki gritted his teeth and winced as he felt his jaw was going to snap if the clamp around it did not cease. "W...who would belong to someone like you?" Riki fired back, playing with fire.

Iason's eyes narrowed and he let go.

With an internal sigh of relief, Riki glanced up, only to have the breath beaten from him as he was slammed against the now locked portal door. "Uuurk..." he sounded in pain and grabbed onto Iason's shoulders as he felt the blonde's knee ram between his legs and up against his groin region. "Ia...Iason...!" Shocked replaced his fear as Iason rested his head in Riki's nape and said nothing.

Nothing happened, which frankly scared the piss out of Riki more than Iason abusing him. He would rather take abuse than gentleness, because he feared that he could actually come to like the Blondie. Not that he'd ever admit that.

"Iason?" Riki squeaked, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "You're...hurting me..."

As if snapping back to life, the Blondie gave the dark haired boy a squeeze. "Are you not mine yet, Riki?" he whispered.

Riki froze within the gentle contact, surprised that Iason had actually done this. He knew that the Blondie had changed, but he didn't think he had turned this soft. Sure while in Apatia before his encounter with Guy had taken place, Iason had shown him a gentleness, but this was even gentler. Riki gulped as he felt Iason's arms tighten their gentle embrace around him, a bit overwhelmed with emotion.

"How much more must I do to show you that you are mine forever?"

"You plan to keep me forever?" Riki growled softly, trying to mask his emotions with bitterness.

"I did not train you for three years and bend rules just to have you end up in the arms of another," Iason whispered. "Why can you not see that?"

"I did not choose this, Iason," Riki reminded softly, hoping to spark some anger within the blonde and have him argue with him rather than be gentle. This gentleness was unnerving, as if Iason were giving up on him.

With a sigh, Iason pushed away and brushed his finger along the tanned cheek. "Even if you did not chose this, I had hoped you would have accepted it by now."

Riki watched as the Blondie turned away from him and headed to his office area, abandoning him with his thoughts. He had a feeling it would be awhile before he saw him again.

—

Riki tossed in the bed for the thirty eighth time that night, the empty half lacking the warmth of the Blondie and the darkness of the room almost becoming daunting. He hadn't seen Iason for two days now, which he usually would be grateful for the distance to recover back when Iason was still full of his sadistic whims, but now it was frightening. What if Iason decided that enough was enough and brought home a new pet? What if he tossed him to the curb...or a brothel?

Alarm spiked through Riki's heart at the thought of Iason giving up on trying to keep him by his side. Where would he go now? He couldn't go back to the Slums. He would probably end up overdosing or drinking himself to death without realizing it. When he had went back to the Slums, he had gotten an ice cold slap of reality. The Slums hadn't changed one bit, but Riki had unintentionally gotten accustomed to Eos lifestyle. Everything in the Slums was the same, yet immensely worse to him. The mere thought of going back to it filled Riki with dread from head to toe.

And a brothel! What if being treated like a normal pet meant he was to be sent to a brothel? How long would he last? Would his body give out? Would someone with worse sadistic tendencies than Iason Mink himself find him? He wouldn't be able to stand up to the abuse of rape, day after day after day. And he didn't want that to be his fate.

Riki lurched up, panting heavily as his heart pounded wildly in his chest. There was nothing left for him outside of being Iason Mink's pet, there was nothing more he could do. No one could do what Iason Mink did to him, and that thought scared him beyond belief. The fact that since Iason was the only one who could do those things to him, and the fact he didn't want it to end. Riki grasped his chest, trying to gently give it a pat in reassurance, but his fear was completely dominating him.

He started to choke as some saliva slipped down the wrong way, filling the room with hacking sounds and he flopped back to the bed while trying to reclaim the ability to breathe. Riki jolted as he felt a hand give him a pat on the back to help him breathe and looked up to see the person of his thoughts in the now dimly lit room. "Ia—Iason..." he coughed.

"Are you all right?" the blonde asked, quietly. "Are you ill?"

Riki brushed him off slightly. "Em...fine."

Iason nodded and pressed a button, ordering Cal to bring a glass of cold water for Riki before he rose and slipped out of his clothes and into a robe. He nodded in approval at the swift arrival of the Furniture and then told him that would be all for the night. Turning back to Riki, he sat down on the edge of the bed closest to him and handed off the glass of water.

Riki accepted it with slightly trembling hands and took a few sips before lowering it and placing it on the nightstand. "Where were you?" he asked quietly. "You vanished for two days."

A flicker of happiness pierced Iason's heart at the thought that Riki was wondering or worried as to where he was. "There was an incident with one of my clients that needed to be resolved and it took a lot longer than I had expected." He slipped out of the robe and in between the silk sheets, pulling Riki close. "Did you miss me?"

"No," Riki lied softly.

Iason held back a sigh, "That's a shame." He spooned closer to the defiant mongrel, his arousal and desire growing with each moment. "Allow me to show just how much I missed you..."

—

Iason watched from the viewing area, his eyes piercing the operation table that the large mongrel was unconscious upon. The untamed beast had been a bit of a struggle, but went down fairly easy after a few hits from the electric wands. He was now strapped down to the table with thick bonds that were of the highest quality material to ensure no escape. Guy had fought as the doctors had tried to place the anesthetics mask over his face, but a swift smack across the head from the leading Sapphire doctor got him to still.

"You don't trust them?" Raoul inquired, entering from the side door silently.

"I wanted to ensure it was done properly," Iason answered, his eyes still riveted to the sight of the doctors beginning the task. "I will not even consider releasing this thing back into the wild, unless it has a captivity identification number and tracer."

"But you don't plan on letting him out, do you?"

Iason slowly looked up to Raoul, quietly regarding him for a moment and then back to the viewing area. "I suppose you're right."

"Then why waste your time giving it a tracer if he is going to be in your hold?"

"I'm not taking an chances," Iason answered, watching as the doctor began to flip the mongrel over to begin the inserting of the first tracer in the back of the boy's neck. "Whatever I decide to do with it, I will ensure he is not going to cause me anymore unnecessary work." The Sapphire doctor disinfected the area on the tanned neck and then slowly started to slice open the skin in the designated spot.

"Don't you have another meeting today?" Raoul spoke up, observing beside the fellow Blondie.

Iason nodded. "I do. And I fear I will not be home for awhile because of it." He headed over and pressed the speaker button. "Ensure he does not wake up until the stitches have disappeared completely. There should be no evidence of the operation on him the time he wakes up." The mixture of Sapphire and Ruby doctors turned and nodded to him. "Have him returned to the containment cell and notify me when he has recovered."

—

"Huuu..." Riki gasped as Iason pushed further into him, while gripping onto the sheets with shaking hands. "I...Iason...hurts..."

Iason disregarded the plea, continuing forward slowly inside the constricting entrance until Riki's ass was flush against his pelvis. He moved one of his hands along the tanned chest that was coated in a sheet of sweat, while the other went to his erection, gently stroking the engorged and slick organ dripping with pre-cum. He would make Riki hold out for a little bit longer before granting him release, he was currently enjoying the quick rise and fall of Riki's chest beneath his hand along with the sublime moans Riki was producing. He was loath to have any of it end, every time they had sex he didn't want it to end. "Not yet," he whispered, finally starting to pull back and then push in while he held Riki close for support.

"Uuhh...ah..." Riki moaned, one of his arms going back over his shoulder to grip onto Iason. "Stop...hnngh.."

"Not yet," Iason whispered, his voice a smooth seduction. "It's not enough yet..."

—

"You truly believe we can pull this off?" the man inquired. "He is Jupiter's favorite. The perfect Blondie."

"Do you doubt our capabilities?" the calm one asked softly, even though he was not as keen on the plan.

"No, Sir." He paused for a moment. "But are we not betraying our own brethren?"

"If you wish to pull away..." the one next to the calm man started.

"No, I will do as you wish."

The subtly aggressive one nodded. "Iason has lost touch with reality because of his obsession with the mongrel. We cannot have a leader such as him ruling anymore. He's disregarded the rules which have been in place since the beginning and it is time to take the matter into our own hands."

To Be Continued


	6. Successfully Infiltrated

ason held Riki close, staring down into those clear obsidian eyes. "Obey Nao, and do not stray from your usual routine areas. I will not risk having you in harms way again, Riki."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the mongrel grumbled under his breath, turning his gaze away from the blonde to the door.

The Blondie gently grasped onto the tanned chin and pulled it back to him. "I mean it, Riki." His eyes made Riki's breath catch slightly, they were so soft and pleading that Riki simply nodded before averting his gaze again.

"I got it," he murmured. "I won't fuck up."

Iason grinned, "Good boy." He stepped back slightly. "If my schedule permits it, I may stop by later in the week to check on you."

Riki heart leaped up, but he scowled to cover up his moment of happiness. "It's one week, besides I'll be yours all of the following week. Can't you just leave me alone?" he snapped.

"Anymore protesting and I'll stop by every single day," Iason threatened.

Riki scoffed, "I'm leaving now." He shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked away from Iason, hoping that the overprotective blonde would at least attempt to stop by once. He truly was grateful for Iason and everyone being so protective of him, as there was always the risk that the rules would be shoved in their faces again and he would suffer the fate of an old pet. But Iason was quite uncompromising and confident that he could pull several cards from his sleeves and find loop holes to every accusation against them.

Iason watched as his pet walked off, knowing full well that he was acting bitter to cover up the desire for him to drop by later in the week. He grinned to himself as he looked on at Nao guiding Riki out of the room before disappearing. He would finish up all of his tasks to ensure he could spend one evening with his stubborn mongrel. Not only to confirm his pet's well being, but to also test and verify Riki's bodyguard's loyalty.

His eyes narrowed as he turned to head off to his office, he was going to have Katze do a thorough investigation on Nao again. As he had a suspicion that something was not right. The other twelve Blondies did not seem to be protesting as much as they should against Riki having a bodyguard, which was odd. Usually they would be hell bent on throwing the rules in his face, but some in particular were docile, which was very unlike them. There was a low chance of them giving in and accepting the issue so willingly, so something had to be wrong—unless Iason was just overthinking this whole thing.

—

"We have arrived in Apatia, Master Riki," Nao announced, driving the aircar onto the main vein of the busy city. "Would you prefer to go to work early?"

In the backseat, Riki rolled his eyes. "Don't call me 'Master' and sure." He'd rather go waste his energy at work than have to put up with this dickhead invading his personal space.

"Very well," Nao nodded.

Riki slouched in the seat, before rummaging around in his pockets to pull out a cigarette and light it. He inhaled the toxic chemicals into his body, instantly feeling a bit more relaxed.

"Sir Riki, I am going to have to ask you to refrain from smoking in the vehicle."

Riki grumbled under his breath, taking an extra long drag before flick the cigarette out the window and exhaling the smoke out from his lungs. "Happy?" he sneered.

Nao didn't answer and kept driving towards Katze's location as indicated by the dot upon the GPS system.

Riki had a feeling that Nao and him would not get along very well.

—

"Do another investigation of Riki's bodyguard," Iason instructed to the screen.

"You still believe he is not exactly who he says he is?" Katze calmly inquired.

Iason ignored Katze's query. "Do another thorough search and this time see if there is any connection between him and any of the other Elites."

The redhead's face remained stone cold, but below the screen his body tensed. Would another Elite be using Nao as a tool to inflict harm upon Iason or Riki? "Understood, I will tend to this matter right away."

Iason nodded and tapped a button, effectively ending the call and causing the screen to dissipate. He leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. If his own brothers were against him, what could he do? He could not accuse them without proof, as any accusation not validated would start a feud. Jupiter forbade her children from fighting with one another, therefore Iason would have to tread carefully until he had enough proof to confront his creator with. There was also the question of who. Who was in on the scheme, certain Blondies or all of them? Until he had an investigation in progress, every single one was a possible threat, regardless of the fact that they should remain innocent until proven guilty.

—

Riki sighed as he slipped into the waiting vehicle, he had worked in the basement, moving shipments around, checking stock and organizing the new shipments. It wasn't the most strenuous of jobs, yet he found himself tired.

"Welcome back, sir," Nao cheerfully greeted. "How was your day at work?"

"Fan-fucking-tastic," Riki growled.

Nao faltered slightly in his joyfulness. "I...I'm glad you had a productive day, now I'll escort you home."

God, never had Riki wanted to punch someone in the face so badly! This guy was just straight up annoying and weird; something about him just rubbed Riki the wrong way—completely.

He slouched, resting his elbow on the window ledge as he stared out at the vibrant city lights. There was no way he was making small talk with Nao, so he decided to just ignored him completely. The sooner he got away from him, the better. He just wanted to go back to his condo, take a nice hot shower and sleep while he tried to forget what a fucked up mess his life was becoming.

Finally arriving, Riki wasted no time in getting out of the vehicle and hurrying to the building entrance. The moment he set foot into his familiar messy room he threw his jacket down on the chair and ran his fingers through his hair. A huge sigh escaped his lips as he stripped, leaving a trail of his clothing all the way to the bathroom.

—

"The only information I could find is that the boy was trained at the top security Academy in Midas, there is nothing more on him," Katze grimly revealed, reading over the data on the screen in front of him. "However, the business is run by an Onyx known as Tanner. That is the only Elite connection." He glanced up to meet Iason's gaze. "Shall I investigate his history?"

Iason's azure eyes narrowed. "Preform a standard background investigation. I shall speak with him personally and verify if his story matches up to your findings." He paused. "And see if there any another connections to other Elites."

"Pardon me, Master, but do you really believe that Riki's life is in danger?" Katze inquired softly. "If you have dealt with his old pairing partner, then why would any threat remain?"

Iason refused to answer. "Contact me when you have any information."

Katze nearly sighed, watching the screen darken and then disappear. "How many more risks will you take to protect him, Master?" he whispered, shaking his head at the whole situation. "A Blondie against any remotely threatening situation. Riki might as well mourn any flake of freedom he had ever had."

—

"I have infiltrated the premises," Arai reported. "The video feed and microphones have successfully been installed."

"Very good," the man praised. "If Mink stops by you must listen in to the conversations."

"Yes, sir."

"Mink has a connection with Riki's manager," the other spoke up. "Investigate him and see if there is anything we can use as leverage against Mink. The more we have against him, the harder he will fall."

"Our main source of leverage is his pet," the subtly aggressive one reminded.

"What will you have me do about him, Masters?" Arai inquired.

The subtly aggressive one held the boy's gaze. "When the time is right you shall damage him."

To Be Continued


	7. Assurance Required

Riki plopped down on the bed, nude save for a pair of boxers with a beer in his hands. He took a chug of the refreshing and chilled beverage, the familiar taste dancing around in his mouth before cascading down into his near empty belly. He couldn't get much food down today and was unsure as of why. Maybe it was the stress of working and knowing he'd be going back to Eos and have to suffer another week as the fossilized pet of a Blondie?

He took another sip of his beer, muddling through his brain to comprehend his mixed emotions. Perhaps it was the fact he felt as if something was wrong? As if Iason and his relationship was on the cusp of crumbling. That petrified him. He was no longer good as anything but being Iason Mink's pet. He could barely make it through the week without craving the Blondies touch, let alone being starved once again of the touches he lusted for.

Or perhaps it was because he wasn't used to the body guard situation. It troubled him greatly, that he didn't have a clue as to what Guy was planning. If his best friend could have been plotting something horrid, what was stopping others from doing the same?

"Fucksake," Riki hissed, rolling over in his bed while still holding the beer. "What is going on?"

—

"Can we use him?"

"I do not believe that Iason will set him free," the subtly aggressive one answered. "But if he does, we might be able to."

"What if he's mindwiped?"

"Then we can tamper with his gray matter," the man replied.

"Pull him back from the void?"

"He could be a valuable asset in our plan, no one will believe he recovered."

—

Katze tapped furiously on his keyboard, researching and investigating further into the people of interest. So far, Tanner looked to be fairly clean, nothing suspicious and the same was for Nao. Tanner owned several body guard training facilities and he produced and even trained various robots for security measures that were deployed in Eos.

But there wasn't much on whom he associated with outside of his work, which was a red flag in Katze's books. That meant that Tanner was a very private Elite and the possibility of gaining information on all he could associate with would be tough.

And Nao offered just as little of information, which was no help at all either.

Katze scowled slightly, tapping a few more buttons on the screen to successfully hack into the boy's account. It was practically empty, nothing aside from his date of birth and standard profile features including physical appearance and training details. It was too empty, as if outside the training facility the boy did not exist and it rubbed Katze the wrong way. He'd find out who this boy was outside of work, just to ensure Riki wasn't going to become the downfall of Iason Mink.

—

"Good morning, Sir Riki," Nao cheerfully greeted.

"Cut the shit," Riki hissed, getting into the vehicle.

Nao rebounded from the vulgar attitude and proceeded to drive Riki to Katze's workplace in silence. The entire time he had two obsidian eyes staring at him with a gaze that could kill, as if Riki could see right through him. It shook him to the core with fear.

Finally when they reached their destination, Riki hopped out, completely ignoring Nao and headed straight down to talk to Katze. The redhead tuned upon the mongrel's arrival and closed down the screen. "Is something wrong?"

Riki shook his head and plunked down on the sofa, running his hand through his hair and exhaled frustrated. "Fuck."

Katze slowly walked over and sat down on the opposite sofa, lighting a cigarette and then handed one off to Riki. "You look like you've just been through a rough night."

Riki huffed, accepting the cigarette and then lit it. "This whole situation just got fucked up ten fold," he sighed after a drag. "Something isn't right Katze. I don't know what the fuck it is."

Katze only raised an eyebrow slightly. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know."

"Are you uneasy not being with Iason?"

Riki scoffed, "That's the least of my worries." But that wasn't true. He wanted Iason by his side, but minus Eos. He wanted Iason by his side to assure him nothing would happen, not that he'd ever admit that. "I'd rather be here than Eos."

"Then what is wrong, Riki?" Katze inquired, inhaling his cigarette.

He didn't usually talk about stuff like this to anyone, but frankly he couldn't hold it in. "Nao," Riki hissed. "Something seems off about him."

Katze contained his surprise, listening to what the mongrel had to say about the boy he was investigating. "Are you sure you're not just pissed that he's guarding you?"

Riki glared, "No. I mean..." He growled in frustration, "I can read people, Katze. You had to be pretty good at it when you're in Ceres. Without that ability you don't know who you can trust or deal with." He fumbled with the cigarette in his hand. "And Nao is one of those people I wouldn't fuck around with. He seems like one of those fake bastards. They always got you into trouble."

Huh, he might be on to something, Katze thought. "Maybe you're just overthinking it, Riki."

"Fuck," Riki hissed, grinding his cigarette into the ashtray. "Fuck it, fine." He grabbed his small bag and stormed out of the room.

—

Iason leaned back in his chair, finally finishing off the virtual document that had taken up his time. He regained himself, swiftly pulling up another screen and the information of the Onyx named Tanner. Skimming the information, he found nothing threatening just as Katze had said. But there was indeed a lack of information which could mean he was very private.

Tapping the contact information, he left a notification for the Onyx to get in touch with him because he wished to discuss Nao's training in person. Quickly agreeing to the idea, they both decided on a place and time to meet—today at 2:30 in the lounge. Iason was a bit put off by the lack of hesitation in the Onyx's decision to have the meeting. It could mean the man was indeed innocent, or he was a superb actor.

The Blondie ended the call, feeling even more uneasiness seep into him than before. If someone was orchestrating a follow up incident to take him or his pet down they were being very thorough and Iason hated it. Usually it was him who was finding ways to way to bring others to their knees, but here he couldn't help but feel bested by someone or something that who he had no idea was actually real. What if he was just being paranoid because Riki could have gotten hurt?

—

"He's on to me," Arai hissed, staring at the figure at the other end of the camera.

"Yes, it appears that Mink is on the trail as well," the man agreed. "He's investigating Tanner it seems."

Arai flinched. "What do we do? Once he investigates Tanner and discovers you then it'll lead to me and—"

"I will confer with the others," the man decided. "I think the plans will have to move forward quicker than originally thought."

—

Iason nodded, sitting down across from the Onyx who looked generally innocent in his expressions. "What is it you wish to speak with me about, Iason Mink?" Tanner inquired.

The Blondie laid out several of the files before the man. The main one being a picture of Nao—it was the standard body guard profile photo. "I am here to discuss the body guard I hired to protect my pet," Iason explained. "There seems to be little to no information on him outside of the standard profile information, which concerns me."

"There is nothing to add, Lord Mink." He leaned back casually. "My guards are somewhat the same as Furniture, they have no desires or previous backgrounds. They are assigned a task and once they are finished it, they too are finished."

Iason pondered for a moment. "That may be so, however..." He moved the photo over and revealed another one, it was of a boy who looked somewhat similar to Nao, but just wasn't the same. "Then who is this young man?"

Tanner stiffened slightly. "I do not know who that is," he lied smoothly. "But it looks somewhat like Nao." He looked at Iason. "Are you accusing me of something, Lord Mink?"

"Oh no," Iason sarcastically answered. "Not at all..."

"What is this really about?" Tanner demanded.

Iason leaned forward, intimidatingly. "I want to know exactly who I am leaving my pet in the care of." His eyes narrowed on the Onyx. "As a Blondie, I demand perfection in something that is guarding my dearest pet. And you have raised several red flags in my books."

Tanner ground his teeth. "I am an Elite as well, Lord Mink. You are offending me greatly with your accusations."

"I have not accused you of anything, Tanner. I merely want to know more about you and Nao," he explained, pulling up a screen that had many blank spots. "Care to assure me that your partnership is trustworthy?"

To Be Continued


	8. Lustful Hate

Iason observed the contents that filled the once empty spaces. He sent a copy of the document off to Katze, allowing him access to the files contents for further investigation. There were two Platinas, and one Sapphire upon the list, which would lead to more answers. Iason wanted to know why Nao had been wandering around after Riki when he had been ordered to familiarize himself with Riki's routine areas outside of Eos. It hadn't been hard to find the footage, as he had been given a task in the Security Area and had stumbled upon the scene after revealing the footage for another matter. That crucial piece of information was what had fueled his suspicion.

The Blondie leaned back, the results of today's market scrolling across the screen as usual. Nothing was of concern for him, all but one thing—Riki. His hands twitched on the arm rests, wanting to feel the smooth skin beneath his fingertips. He yearned to be with his troublesome mongrel, be assured he was all right. He wanted to see the lustful expression, feel the burning heat that connected them, be scolded from the panting breaths.

Riki.

He wanted nothing more than to leave everything behind and be with his mongrel. If only reality were more generous.

—

Riki slipped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his damp body. He sipped at a cold beer, wandering aimlessly back to his room. He froze as he heard a sound behind him as he entered the bedroom and jumped as arms wrapped around him. He started to scream in terror when he felt the familiar body against his along with the lips grazing his neck. "Fucksake...you scared me..."

"I apologize, but I couldn't wait any longer," Iason whispered, pulling his gloves off with his teeth and then running his hand down the glistening tan body and beneath the towel. It fell to the ground as Iason grasped onto Riki's manhood, causing the boy's breath to hitch.

"What...what's wrong?" Riki moaned, feeling the tension and fear within the blonde's touch. He pressed himself against Iason, and licked his lips, feeling the same need for reassurance. "Hmmnn...Ia...Iason..." The mongrel was stunned as Iason halted, spinning him around and enveloping him in a crushing hug that squeezed the breath from him. "Iason...?"

The Blondie shook his head, nipping on the tanned neck and kissing the skin repeatedly. "Mine..." he whispered. "You are mine..."

—

Arai scowled, listening in on the meet up with nothing but pure disgust. He heard it, the sound of the Blondie pushing the mongrel onto the bed and the distinct sound of skin running down skin. How was he supposed to listen to this? Since when did Blondies fornicate with their Pets?

"Ah...wa...wait, Iason!" Riki moaned, then there was the sound of the sheets shuffling around. "Huu...Iason...!"

The sound of soft sucking and slurping filled the microphones alongside the mongrel's tantalizing moans. Arai grimaced, feeling himself harden from the audible stimulation. He ground his teeth in frustration and winced at the tightening in his pant's uniform.

"Ahhh...hiii!"

Arai licked his lips, letting himself free from his restrictions. He glanced behind him, ensuring he was really alone and grasped onto his erection and shivered. It had been so very long since he had felt pleasure, as it was forbidden during training. All of the body guards were supposed to be similar to Furniture and therefore lacking in the penis area. However, as a body guard they were required o use their bodies as weapons, which allowed them to use their penises. But until that was required, they were bound to a virginity vow.

There was more shuffling of the sheets, and the sucking grew faster and louder. "Ah...hu, hah, ah...!"

"Uhh..." Arai moaned, starting to loosely pump his slick cock. With the virginity vow, they were prohibited to go out and enjoy Midas or even watch porn. This was over the top erotic. He began to pump himself faster as Riki began to moan more and more and he reached his climax. Arai climaxed at the same moment Riki did, his load spewing forth onto his work space. "Oh...oh God..."

"Haa...haa..." There was the sound of someone crawling on the bed and skin contacting each other. "Uuuh..."

Arai's head snapped back up, his ears strained. 'They're not done?" he gawked, panicking as he felt himself hardening again. He took a deep breath and licked his lips, "I can't wait..."

—

Iason rolled over behind Riki, assuming their spooning position. Riki wasn't surprised as Iason slowly began pushing into him, but frowned as he saw that Iason's finger was covered in an unknown dark liquid. Before he could comment, Iason scribbled something in his hand.

Don't speak.

Riki looked back at him, then gasped and moaned as the blonde jerked into him. "Auugh!"

Iason ran his thumb over the writing, erasing it and then traced in a new message: The room, He wiped it away, adding: is bugged. He wiped it away again, writing out in small letters: Someone is listening.

Now Riki understood why the Blondie had been unusually quiet and avoiding his questions. He was about to think of a way to answer, but Iason started bucking relentlessly into the mongrel. "Ah, hah, ahh! God, st...slow, down!" he gasped, clutching onto Iason's shoulder. "Wa...can't, ahhh!"

—

Arai slumped in his chair, feeling exhausted after masturbating during the entirety of the Blondie's visit with his Pet. His penis was sore from the amount of jacking off he had done, and he felt a hunger to fuck someone growing. He wanted someone for himself, someone to moan and writhe beneath him.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He had to focus! So far, neither of the targets had caught onto the fact the room was bugged. And from what he could hear, there was no suspicion in their conversations. This was going very smoothly.

A sudden ringing sounded and Arai jolted, gathering himself before answering the call. "Yes, Sir?"

"There's been a change of plans," the man explained. "We are pushing the whole project forward in date. We will meet with the others and confirm the plan to the seconds, do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir." Arai smiled wickedly, sliding his fingers in his cum. "I do."

To Be Continued


	9. No Hesitation

Katze sent the results. "Here are the schedules and contacts of the men in question." He pulled up the names, contact information and other notes. "Is there anything else, Master?"

"I will handle the rest," Iason dismissed. "I will question all of these Elites personally." Another call notification appeared on his screen. "That will be all." He tapped the screen. "What is it?"

The Sapphire doctor appeared. "Lord Mink, I have terrible news."

—

Iason stormed down the hallway, stepping into the examination area. "Explain yourselves immediately."

"I have told you, Lord Mink." The Sapphire pointed to the body of the mongrel. "He reacted badly to the drugs administered and used to keep him under. He was a vegetable until now."

The Blondie ground his teeth in agitation, he hadn't calculated Guy perishing. If Riki found out he'd surely blame him! "Have Lord Am examine him before you depose of the body," he ordered. "And send the autopsy results he produces to me immediately." He glared at everyone at the room. "And I want to speak to everyone individually who was in charge of him when I call for you. How come I wasn't notified while he was going into failure?"

"It happened to suddenly, Sir," the Sapphire answered, giving his head a shake. "I was not present when he took a downturn, but when I arrived I tried to resuscitate him to no avail."

Iason ground his molars, he trusted this Sapphire as he was picked by Raoul, therefore he believed him. "Do as I instructed." He turned on his heel, heading back to his office to rearrange his schedule to question the doctors and caretakers. He didn't have time for this, he still had to question the people of suspicion that Katze had provided him with!

—

Riki glared at Nao who was looking a bit uncomfortable. "What's up your ass?"

"I don't know what you mean," Arai denied.

"Uh huh..." He stared up and down at the shifting young man. "Right..."

"Let us go then?"

Riki slipped into the vehicle, watching as the boy sat down into the driver's seat and shifting uncomfortably and avoided his gaze. He ground his teeth, wondering if he was the one who was listening in on him and if he had listened last night. "So...what did you do last night?"

Arai glanced up in the mirror, "Me, Sir?"

"Is there anyone else here?"

"I...I was recording the data from the previous hours," Arai answered. "Marking down anyone I've seen wandering around your condo and workplace who appears suspicious to have them questioned." He looked back to the road. "What...were you doing last night?"

"Sleeping," Riki hissed, watching as Arai flinched. "I'm a very loud sleeper."

Arai nodded, "Perhaps you should seek some treatment so you sleep more soundly?"

"Hmm," Riki hummed, watching as Arai started to sweat. "What's wrong, feeling sick, Nao?"

"Oh...y...yes," Arai answered. "I took some medication prior to leaving, but I assure you I can do my job."

"Good, good." Riki stretched, letting out a soft moan. "It would be horrible if you were to slip up."

Arai flinched and nodded, driving the rest of the way in absolute silence.

—

"We've distracted Mink," the man explained. "Today, you must do it today."

"Good, because he was on to me."

"Mink?"

"The Pet," Arai hissed. "He somehow knew I was listening to them yesterday when the Blondie came by."

"That won't matter anymore," the man dismissed. "We've got Mink right where we want him."

"Follow the plan?" Arai confirmed, slamming his head back onto the head rest.

"Yes, you can do as discussed."

Arai nodded, tapping the screen off and curled his fingers into a fist. "It's time..."

—

"What is this about, Iason?" the Platina questioned, watching the Blondie walk around him and then sit down. "I've heard you are questioning all that associate with Tanner?"

"I want to know more about this young man," Iason explained, setting Arai's photo down on the lounge table.

The Platina leaned forward, examining the picture on the holoscreen. "Is that not your Pet's bodyguard? Why would I know anything?"

"Tanner and you run the Bodyguard Facility, I would hope you know more about the people you take into the facility, Carter."

Carter raised an eyebrow, "You are mistaken, Iason. I do not do the dirty work of the facility. I merely watch over the companies."

"Companies?" Iason repeated.

"Yes," Carter answered. "There is more than one company under the main business branch. There are several within Midas."

"Write them out," Iason demanded, pushing a separate screen to the Platina. "I want the name of every company within the branch."

Carter's eyebrows raised into his silvery blue hairline. "Are..." He paused. "Are you accusing Tanner of doing something to mess with your Pet or you?" he whispered.

Iason looked at the panic in the pale blue eyes. "You seem surprised?"

"I would never have..." He shook his head. "Tanner would never..." Carter froze, his eyes narrowing as he recalled something. "Grant."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Grant," Carter repeated. "He...he has been a bit off lately. I was concerned for him, as he was missing work because he said he was buried in paperwork."

"Where is this person?" Iason demanded.

"The last I heard from him, he was assisting Malcolm with a project in Midas."

"Malcolm?" Iason repeated, pulling up a file of another suspicious Plantina. "This man?"

"Yes."

"Who does Malcolm work with?"

Carter sighed. "Iason, am I expected to tattle upon my brothers?"

"Do not make me repeat myself," Iason hissed.

"Very well," Carter sighed. "I have heard from the grapevine that he has been working with Orphe and a few other Blondies for the past year."

Iason felt his chest tighten. "The past year?" How long had these people been planning something? When had they planned to do something. He slid the other photo of the boy who looked like Nao across the table. "Do you know who this is?"

Carter frowned, touching the photo of Nao. "Is that not Nao?"

"No," Iason answered, touching the other photo. "This is Nao."

"No," Carter shook his head and touched the true picture of Nao. "This is Nao Reyes, he passed away a year ago during training. I know because I was visiting the premises the day that it happened." He stared at the photos. "Now that I look at them side by side they do look similar."

"If this is not Nao, then who is this?"

Carter shook his head. "I have no idea, Iason."

—

Riki hesitated to leave, feeling an unknown sense of fear at the thought of returning early to his condo. He hesitated, turning on his heel to go talk to Katze, but saw the redhead hurrying off with another person.

He clicked his tongue and pressed forward, heading out the doors to the waiting air car. He saw a figure sitting in the driver's seat, rolling his eyes at the kid's inability to see him. "Hey..."

"It's over," a voice whispered in his ear, and a sharp pain met his neck.

He winced, digging his fingers into the person's arm as he felt the sting of the needle. "Uuugh..."

"Easy, easy, baby..." Arai whispered, kissing the tanned cheek. He began guiding the limp Riki to the air car while the coast was clear. The other man got out from the driver's side and nodded to Arai. "Just behave and it'll all go well."

"Nao..." Riki hissed, the feeling in his body starting to disappear with a tingling of pins and needles. Fuck, he couldn't even press his emergency watch from Iason!

"Nao doesn't exist," Arai whispered to him as the other man opened the door. Arai adjusted his hold on Riki, letting him sit in his arms while in the backseat. "If you want to blame someone, blame your Master." He stroked the black hair, watching as the mongrel gave into the drugs and lost consciousness.

—

Iason pinched the bridge of his nose, returning to his office to contact the other suspects. He just sat down when a familiar Blondie walked in and he perked up. "Raoul, what did the autopsy results say?"

Raoul's elegant brows curved inward. "I beg your pardon?"

"The autopsy results of the mongrel, I had requested you look at the body and provide me with the results to verify he died from the causes explained to me."

"It perished? This is the first time I am hearing of such a thing," Raoul confusedly answered. "I was just informed that you wanted to talk to me."

"By who?"

"Brent," Raoul answered, taking a seat. "An assistant to the Sapphire, Damien, I recommended for you."

Iason leaned back in his chair. "Raoul...I believe our brothers are trying to kill Riki and I off."

To Be Continued


	10. The Negotiation

Iason strode down the hallway, heading straight to the security room to find Orphe. He had no idea what was going on, but if his brothers were plotting against him, he would have to seek solid proof and then hand the matter over to Jupiter.

A man stepped out of the control room, along with the Platina named Malcolm in question.

"You," Iason growled, intimidatingly cornering the two of them. "You both are to be questioned immediately."

"Iason," Malcolm chided. "Why are you so callous towards us?

Iason's eyes narrowed. "I require a session with you both separately to answer my questions about the body guard that is protecting my pet."

Grant frowned. "Are you displeased with him in any way?"

Iason tapped his wristband and projected an image of the real Nao. "This is Nao Reyes." He tapped his console again and maintained his chillingly calm and hard tone. "And this is my pet's body guard, who is supposed to be Nao Reyes." He glared at them. "Explain yourselves."

Malcolm looked to Grant, then to Iason. "We will comply with your wish to talk, as we have no idea what is going on."

—

Arai stroked Riki's cheek, sighing thoughtfully. "It was almost too easy." He trailed his hand down the nude body, feeling all of the dips and curves of the toned abs. "You never stood a chance. Your Master and you were doomed from the start."

Riki stirred, moaning slightly as he blinked to clear his vision.

"Are you awake?" Arai asked softly, grinning in excitement.

"You...son of a bitch," Riki growled, tugging at the bindings.

"Shh, baby," Arai soothed. "The fun has not begun yet."

Riki ground his teeth. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

—

Grant sat down gingerly in the chair, acting as if nothing were wrong at all. "Now then, what seems to be your problem, Iason?"

"Who is this?" Iason questioned. "One of your partners told me that Nao Reyes passed away. If so then who is this boy?"

"I assure you, Nao Reyes is good and alive." He pointed to the picture of Arai. "That is him right there."

"No, that cannot be true." Iason's eyes narrowed, but his voice remained calm and controlled. "Do not lie to me."

"Accusing me of lying, Iason?"

Iason leaned forward. "I know you are working together. If someone doesn't start talking, I will personally torture you and make you squeal."

Grant grinned. "Hmm, quite bold."

"I mean it."

"Well, I suppose this means we can cut to the chase."

"What?"

—

Riki jerked his head away from Arai's touch. "Don't fucking touch me, you fucker."

"So mean," Arai pouted, but then grinned. "I love when they act tough."

"When Iason finds out about this, he'll kill you," Riki warned.

Arai laughed. "Oh, I don't mind. He's supposed to find out."

Riki glared. "What?"

Arai once again laughed, walking over to the side table that had been positioned with a camera device on top to capture a full view of the bed. "It should be perfect. I have you filling the whole frame." He tapped the button for the feed to send to the source. "Your Master will get to see everything perfectly."

—

"If you do not comply with our requests," Grant started, pulling out a tablet and laying it down on the table for Iason to view.

Iason's eyes widened in horror. "Riki..."

"Your pet will suffer greatly," he warned, a smile on his face as he watched Iason's reaction.

"I will have Jupiter dismantle you!" Iason threatened.

"Ah, ah, ah, Iason," Grant scolded. "If you bring Jupiter into this, I'll have your pet killed before your eyes."

"What do you want from me?"

"Come and have a chat with the group," Grant suggested. "We'll gladly explain what we require."

—

"You don't mind Iason ripping you to shreds?" Riki questioned, once again tugging at the bindings. "Are you stupid?"

"He won't get to me," Arai assured. "The others will negotiate with him and depending on how much he hesitates." He pulled out a holder and unwrapped it, revealing it was full of blades. "The more you will suffer."

"You're crazy."

Arai laughed. "No, I'm simply doing what I was trained to." He pulled a blade out, observing it and allowing the light to glint off of it. "I wonder what it ill take for your Master to agree? One stab? Two stabs?" He grinned wildly. "I believe I'll save the knives for later. I have something special planned to start out the negotiations."

"I'm going to enjoy watching Iason murder you."

Arai smiled, crawling over Riki and whispering in his ear. "And I am going to enjoy fucking you."

—

Iason glared at the people around the table. There were numerous lower Elites, but what angered him was the familiar faces of his own Blondie brothers in the group. "Jupiter will dismantle all of you," he hissed.

"Not if you want your pet to remain alive," Orphe reminded.

"If you dare hurt him, I will dismantle you," Iason warned.

"Brave talk," Aisha praised.

"What do you want from me?" Iason demanded. "There is no way Jupiter will not find out eventually, so I suggest you end this foolishness now."

Orphe smirked. "We want you to step down as leader from the Syndicate and leave Amoi."

Iason leaned back. "You are all insane."

"Oh?" Orphe grinned. "We are, are we?" He tapped a button. "Maybe this will change your tune."

The screen popped up in the center of the table and Riki's screams filled the air. Iason watched in horror as Arai continued to pound himself madly into his mongrel, each thrust eliciting a scream of agony from his beloved. Iason ground his teeth, realizing then that Riki's hips looked unnatural as they were dislocated. "You will all pay dearly for what you have done," Iason growled, his azure eyes puncturing everyone in the room.

To Be Continued


	11. Done Deal

"Do it," Arai demanded to the bulky man, then proceeded to hold Riki's head tightly within his arms. "It's ok, baby. It'll hurt just a little."

"Leggo of me!" Riki hissed, gnashing his teeth and fighting to be released. He couldn't see what the man was doing past Arai, but he felt hands upon his body. "Stop touching me!"

Arai looked back. "Ready?" He shoved a brace from his pocket into Riki's mouth to bite onto.

The man nodded, adjusting his hold before applying pressure to the exact spots and forcing the bones out of place.

Riki screamed, his body jolting from the pain of having his hips dislocated. He tried to thrash his head out of the hold, wildly tugging at his hands until blood appeared. "HNNNGHHHH!"

"Aw baby, does it hurt?" Arai whispered, stroking Riki's hair that was damp from the newly formed layer of sweat. He ran his thumb under the dark eyes to wipe away the tears. "Poor thing."

The man finally stepped back, "It's done. Shall I tighten it?"

Arai nodded, smiling down at Riki as the man pulled the ropes attached to the mongrel's legs. Riki screamed in agony as his bones were pulled further out of their normal positioning, sobbing madly into the brace. "I told you...don't blame me, blame your Master." He pulled the brace from his mouth. "Now scream loudly for him, all right?"

—

"I cannot just pick up and leave!" Iason growled, watching in pure hatred as Arai continued to rape his beloved.

"You must find a way," Orphe explained.

"There is no logical way for me to just vanish!" Iason insisted. "Stop this at once!" He ground his teeth as Arai climaxed, releasing into his mongrel who was still screaming and moaning in pain.

"Are you refusing?" Aisha questioned.

"There is no possible way for me to do as you ask!" Iason insisted, trying to maintain his calm tone.

Orphe tapped a button. "Bring him in."

"All of you, I am sure we can work this out," Iason suggested. "Are we not civilized and able to discuss a plan to appease everyone's desires?"

Gideon shook his head. "There is nothing that would appease us more than your disappearance."

Iason ground his teeth, watching as another figure with a sack over his face was brought forward and positioned between his pet's legs. Arai injected something into the naked figure through a syringe, then the sack was pulled off. Iason blinked, trying to process the situation. "He's supposed to be dead!"

—

"G...Guy?" Riki moaned weakly, staring up at the mongrel with glazed eyes. "Guy, wh...what have they d...done to you?"

"I'd watch out," Arai warned. "He's going to shred you down there. I injected his with a drug that will make him go mad."

Riki watched as Guy twitched, frozen in the position he was placed. "Guy..." Riki pleaded, crying softly still and hating himself for it. "Gu...y...please..."

"Oh, look at this," Arai smirked, grasping onto Guy's erection and giving it a gentle stroke, causing him to jolt. "Here, let me help you put that into the right place."

"Guy!" Riki screamed.

The moment Guy pressed himself into the opening, he clenched onto Riki's legs and started to buck inside as if he he were a mustang bucking off an unwanted rider.

Riki screamed louder, the brutality of the force inside him, his dislocated hips and Guy's impossibly tight hold on him was agony. "St, st—AAAAAUGHH!" He threw his head back. "I—IASON...!"

Guy huffed, pounding himself repeatedly inside the entrance. It was tight, warm and clamped down around him with every thrust. All he could feel was pleasure, nothing else mattered besides this warmth that was enveloping him. He wanted more...more...

—

"Well Iason, what will it be?"

Iason gnashed his teeth after hearing Riki scream his name. "I will leave Amoï." He looked up to them. "Now stop harming my pet!"

"Firstly, you must sign these forms," Gideon revealed, pushing the digital paperwork forward. "As proof you are stepping down, so we will not be questioned."

There was a sickening crunch before a bloodcurdling scream sounded from Riki that made Iason's attention snap back to the screen. "I will sign the paperwork, now cease your harm!"

"Oh..." Arai sighed through the speaker, running a blade along Riki's stomach and causing blood to drip along the tanned skin. "Did he break your hips?"

"Oh my," Aisha sounded, amused.

"Cease your harm upon my pet or I will connect with Jupiter this moment!" Iason threatened, his chest aching at the sound of his pet sobbing in torment as Guy continued to ram into him even with his hips now broken.

Gideon looked to Orphe who nodded, and the Blondie tapped another button.

Iason watched as Arai discarded his blade and another man and him immediately ripped Guy off of Riki, dragging him away. Riki laid there, still sobbing and choking as his body convulsed in excruciating pain. His hands were covered in blood that had dripped down from him tugging against the bounds, his lower half was mangled in an unnatural stance, blood running down his stomach and there was crimson staining the sheets between his legs from the brutality.

Iason grasped onto the digital forms, signing his name on each of them and then tossing them back before rising.

"You have one hour to pack up your valuables and leave," Orphe commanded. "There will be a shuttle awaiting your arrival and you may enter whatever location off Amoï you would wish to live in."

Iason glared at everyone around him. "I hope Jupiter rips each of you apart during my absence."

—

Riki laid there, moaning in agony as each breath seemed to cause pain to radiate through him. "I...I..uuu...Iason..." he cried, pleading. "No...more... won't do it...ever again..."

Arai smirked. "What a pussy."

"M...master..." Riki moaned. "Please s...no mo...re."

Arai glanced over at the camera, a light indicating that the meeting was finished and the deal was done. He walked over and flicked it off, before grabbing a bottle from the table. "Here, as a parting gift," he grinned. "I'll clean your wounds."

Riki blankly watched as Arai held up a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, before pouring it on his wounds. He screamed at the instant burning sensation, then screamed in agony as his body jerked and his broken hips moved. He writhed in agony as his bloodied wounds began to bubble from the solution attacking his injuries.

"There we go," Arai grinned. "All better."

—

Iason stormed down the halls to the Apex level, and entered into the lift before stepping into his residence.

"Welcome back, Mas—" Cal started, but was brushed off as Iason headed straight to his room to start gathering items he might need. Cal hurried after him and stood in his doorway. "Master, is everything all right?"

The Blondie looked up to the innocent Furniture. "Pack a bag with your belongings," he ordered, then added. "And one of Riki's most used possessions, as you know what he frequents."

Seeing the concern and rush of his Master, Cal nodded and did not delay in completing his task assigned to him. "Yes, Master."

Iason placed an item in his own bag, and then stopped, pressing his fingers to his forehead and right temple. The scenes of his pet being tortured in front of him replayed in his mind on an endless loop. If a Blondie could cry, he would have wept.

To Be Continued


	12. Leaving Amoi

Iason dropped his bag in the living space next to the one Cal had packed for Riki, glancing up as the portal sounded.

"I couldn't find the assistant, because he—...what are you doing?" Raoul questioned, striding over and staring at the bag and then him.

Iason purposely blocked his mind off from Jupiter with more effort again. "I am leaving Amoï, Raoul." He turned away, heading to his office area to retrieve his briefcase and files.

Raoul hurried after him. "You can't be serious, Iason!"

"What about the assistant?" Iason urged, entering into the office with the green eyed Blondie on his tail.

"He's dead," Raoul answered promptly. "Iason, you can't just leave!"

"Dead?" So they were killing off every ounce of proof that Iason could use to tell Jupiter of the terrible act his brothers were committing against him.

"Yes, they retrieved his body and are classifying him as a defective android." Raoul placed his hand on Iason's shoulder. "Iason."

Iason turned and looked into Raoul's concern filled eyes. "I am leaving, Raoul. There is no way around it."

"What is going on?" Raoul demanded, giving a gentle squeeze. "Why must you leave?"

Iason shook off the hold softly. "I cannot discuss it with you, as Jupiter may listen into your mind. I am blocking her currently, which is why she cannot listen into my plans."

Raoul's eyes widened. "If you must hide it from her, how does she not know?"

"They must have shielded the room somehow," Iason suggested, placing several documents into his briefcase.

"I'll block her out," Raoul agreed. "Just tell me. Am I not worthy of your trust? Are we not friends?"

Iason paused, turning to face his most valued partner. "They made me resign from the Syndicate after torturing Riki in front of me." He shook his head. "I have no choice, Raoul."

Raoul wanted to protest and say the pet be damned, but he could sense Iason's distress. "I knew he would be your downfall."

Iason smiled softly. "He is not my downfall, he is my strength. And I cannot go on without him, Raoul."

"You realize without you Amoï will fall into corruption, do you not?"

Iason nodded. "I fear our brothers' greed will cause trouble." He added. "And I fear for your life as you have associated with me."

"I can handle myself," Raoul insisted. "I always have a few laser scalpels on hand, for scientific purposes of course."

"I must ask you a favor," Iason swiftly noted.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Katze, my old Furniture and business assistant may require some protection," Iason revealed. "Perhaps you can use him and report to me the progress of destruction."

Raoul hesitated, but nodded. "I will see what I can do."

"Thank you, Raoul." Iason patted him on the shoulder. "I hope that there is some way in the future for me to return, but until then, take care my friend."

—

"Is that everything, Cal?" Iason inquired.

"Yes," he answered, grabbing onto Riki's bag and slinging over his shoulder. "Is there anything of yours that you wish for me to carry, Master?"

"No, just carry yours and Riki's."

Cal nodded and then followed Iason obediently out, not questioning anything his Master was doing. Normally, if he were going away properly a servant would take his luggage to his vehicle, but it seemed this was not planned. But Cal, being as obedient and proper as a perfect Furniture dared not to question until he was given permission.

When they finally reached the vehicle, Iason opened the trunk and placed the bags and his briefcase in before opening the passenger door for Cal. Cal hesitated to sit down, as he was no used to such a privilege, but finally sat down and then Iason started the aircar. The Blondie wasted no time in pulling out from the parking spot and heading to Apatia.

The drive was rushed and silent, until Iason glanced over at Cal. "I am sure you are wondering what is going on," Iason said. "And that is acceptable."

"I am," Cal answered softly, still fearful of inquiring even wen given the permission. "But I will wait until you are able to tell me, if you wish to."

Iason nodded in approval. "I need you to tend to Riki's external wounds and then gather his belongings while I bring him to the vehicle. Be very careful of his hips."

—

Riki moaned, his breathing heavy as his body he laid there. Was he going to die from the shock or perhaps blood lose?

The entrance sounded and he squeezed his eyes shut, praying that no one else would touch him. He didn't want to be touched anymore!

"Riki," Iason whispered, hurrying over to his beloved's side. He immediately undid the hand bindings, then caressed his trembling mongrel's face. "Oh Riki."

Riki pried open his eyes and sobbed in relief. "Ia...Iason..."

"Shh, I'm going to get you help, but we have to get out of here," he promised.

"Hurts..." Riki whimpered softly.

"I know, love, I know." Iason looked back at Cal who was masking his shock as he walked back from the bathroom with a warm, wet cloth to clean Riki.

Cal gently applied the cloth to Riki's wounds on his stomach, trying to suppress his rampant emotions of fear, concern and sadness for the young man. He flinched as Riki jolted away.

"No...!" Riki shrieked. "No more, don't touch...me!"

Iason gently embraced Riki's upper body, lowering himself. "It's all right, Riki. It's just Cal, it's just Cal. No one will hurt you anymore."

Riki trembled in Iason's hold, "R...really?" he whispered softly, fear consuming him.

"I promise," Iason whispered back, kissing him softly.

Cal finished up swiftly and efficiently, being ever so gentle around Riki's lower half before pulling back.

"Gather his belongings from here," Iason instructed, pointing to Riki's bag on the other side of the room.

"Yes, Master." Cal nodded, but then hesitated and approached the Blondie. "I...I grabbed these before we left." He pulled out two syringes and an alcohol wipe from his inner uniform pocket. "They're the strongest sedative and pain killer we had."

Iason nodded and accepted them. "Thank you for your diligence." He was reminded again of how superb of a Furniture Cal was. "Riki, I'm going to give you something for the pain, all right?"

Cal blushed slightly and then hurried off to retrieve the items from around the condo, giving his Master space to be with his pet.

Riki nodded, watching as the Blondie gently cleaned his inner elbow and then inserted the first needle. "Nnn..."

"It's all right," Iason soothed, softly rubbing the spot before wiping again and inserting the next needle. "There we go."

"What's... gonna happen now?" Riki whispered.

"Do not fret about that," Iason assured, shedding his cloak, lying it down next to Riki. Then he rose and walked to where Riki's legs were bound. He slowly undid one binding, watching as Riki flinched and teared up as the circulation returned painfully and then screamed as his broken hips moved. Iason then proceeded onto the next one, rubbing the bruises gently with his thumb before lowering the limb to the bed.

Riki winced, biting back the cries of pain. "H...hurts...kuu...so bad..."

"I know, love," Iason soothingly answered. "When the medication kicks in, then it won't hurt as badly."

The Blondie waited, watching as Riki began to relax and slowly close his eyes. After a minute of Riki being unconscious, Iason positioned himself and slid his arms around the young man's torso and slowly moved him from the soiled sheets to the cloak.

Cal was right when he had advised they were the strongest medication, for Riki was out cold.

"Master?" Cal called, returning to find the Blondie lovingly holding onto the mongrel wrapped in his cloak. "I've retrieved everything. Is there anything else that needs to be done?"

"No," Iason answered. "Carry the bag to the car, we have to get moving."

—

Iason lifted Riki from the backseat, ignoring the stares of the few civilians in the private area. He strode to the private corridor that led to their shuttle, pausing as Cal hurried behind with a luggage cart holding their possessions and then continuing.

The shuttle attendant stood at the shuttle entrance, raising an eyebrow at the scene but said nothing about it. He lowered the entrance ramp and tried to not watch the Blondie carry the wrapped up mongrel up into the shuttle. Then when he saw the luggage with the Furniture he stepped over to help place it in the proper storage areas.

Iason laid Riki down in the Master Bedroom aboard the smaller private shuttle, carefully unwrapping him and positioning him before he covered him with the sheets. His chest ached as he stared down at his mangled lover, thinking his shouldn't have happened.

"Master?" Cal called softly from the other side of the door, as he did not wish to interfere with his presence. "The attendant wishes for a form to be signed to verify we are aboard, shall I sign?"

Iason rose and stepped out. "I will do it." He walked straight up to the attendant who flinched at the fast pace of the Blondie. "Hand it over." He took the digital form and signed it, before returning it. "Now leave."

The man nodded and fled, closing the ramp behind him.

Iason walked over to the control panel of the ship, debating where to go to. It wouldn't matter where, as he had several bank accounts and secret sources of income set up on each planet, meaning they would not have to be concerned about money.

But where would Riki like to be? He detested the busy cities, therefore Iason scratched off the busy planets from his mental list. Riki would want somewhere spacious and freeing. Someplace he could move around without worry.

Iason couldn't help but think of one planet specifically that met those requirements and punched in the coordinates. The shuttle illuminated and the auto pilot took over the systems, signifying the start of their journey.

To Be Continued


	13. Welcome to Astreitania

Riki slowly opened his eyes, a cool breeze washing over him. "I...Iason..." he choked.

A cool hand met the tanned face. "I'm here, love," he whispered.

Riki leaned into the touch. "I feel...sick..." he moaned, then started to gag. A container was placed in front of him just in time to catch the contents of his stomach, which was basically nothing but liquid. "Uuug...sorry..."

"It's all right, Riki," Iason soothed, patting the young man's back and wiping off his face.

"W...where...?" he began, staring around the room but then was hit with nausea again. He threw up whatever was remaining of the liquids inside of him and then leaned back against his pillows, panting.

Once again, the Blondie gently wiped off the sweaty tanned face and then planted a kiss on the hot forehead. "We are in Astreitania," he whispered.

Riki frowned. "W...what? Where...in Eos is...that? I've never...been there."

Iason grinned softly. "We are not in Eos, Riki. We are in Astreitania, the second furthest planet from Amoï."

The frown deepened. "Whaaat?" he confusedly murmured. "When did this...happen?"

Iason could see the pain killers from the operation were still at work and muddling Riki's brain. The moment they arrived, he had taken Riki straight to the hospital and demanded he be placed in surgery. During the operation he purchased the largest piece of private land with a home along the mountainous regions that was surrounded by the rich vegetation that Riki seemed to love while in the Eos Gardens. "Just relax, Riki. I'll have Cal prepare you some simple food."

Riki nodded and made his head comfortable against the cool pillows that elevated him slightly. "'Kay..."

—

Cal placed the tray on the bed next to Riki and in front of where Iason was sitting. "Is there anything else you require, Master?"

"No, that will be all, Cal. You may retire for the evening."

Cal nodded. "Goodnight Masters."

Iason dipped a spoon to the bowl of lukewarm soup, then raised it to Riki's lips. "Open wide."

Riki obeyed, allowing the utensil in and was grateful for the food and that he wasn't nausea anymore. He was still struggling to remember just what happened and how the hell they weren't in Eos anymore, but the drugs were messing with him. He felt light headed and disconnected from his body.

"Is it good?" Iason questioned, watching his pet's reaction.

"Mm," Riki sounded, but then reached out. "I...I can do it myself though."

"I am aware you can," Iason answered, bringing the full spoon back up. "But I wish to feed you."

"Why?" Riki demanded, but accepted the spoon anyways.

"It was entirely my fault for you being injured," Iason sighed. "And this simple action calms me after the turmoil I have been through."

Riki felt his chest tighten a bit. Iason was worried about him? And why was he being so gentle and calling him 'love' and stuff. It was unnatural, and Riki didn't want to get his hopes up. "Whatever," he grumbled, playing off his happiness with his usual attitude. "Not like I can stop you."

Iason continued to feed him in silence, before he finally spoke up. "Tomorrow I'll take you on a tour of the house. I think you'll enjoy the surroundings."

Riki looked to the window, but couldn't see much due to a mixture of the nighttime darkness and the drapes along the whole side wall which were preventing him from having a clear view. "Sure," he agreed, curious as to what the outside looked like. If it was half as good as the breeze smelled when it wafted to him, he would gladly stay here forever.

—

Riki twitched, feeling a gentle hand in his hair and opened his eyes. "H...hey..." he whispered to the blonde who was staring silently at him. "G'morning..."

Iason leaned forward, kissing the tanned forehead. "Morning, love."

"Hn...nnn?" Riki mumbled, wondering why he felt trapped. He froze as he stared at the white casting around his lower body that was past his hospital gown and froze in shock. "Wh...what the fuck?"

"You must have been so numb from the pain killers you didn't feel it," Iason noticed.

"H...how much did I break? How long will it take to heal?" he panicked and then added fearfully. "How do I piss?"

Iason chuckled and smiled softly, ruffling the midnight locks. "It's all right, Riki. You broke one hip badly, and the other one was not as bad." He sighed. "I was not happy that they had to insert a large specialized spike into the badly damaged one, but it had to be done to keep your bones in place or else you would develop a severe limp or it would have healed wrong."

"Fuck..." Riki whispered, then looked back to the Blondie. "How long do I have to stay like this?"

"Not long," Iason assured. "The medical technology here is surprisingly similar to that of Amoi, and therefore you were given special treatment and casting which will heal the damage quicker." He finally answered. "You'll be in it for a week at maximum."

"Uuugh..." Riki groaned.

"Do not worry, a week will pass by quickly and then you can run around as you please," Iason assured, giving the tanned arm a gentle squeeze. "I made sure the doctors who operated on you were the best, and they insisted with their work you would not require much if any rehabilitation."

"I can't even move now that we're out of Eos," Riki whined. "What kind of cruel joke is that?"

"You can move."

"How?" Riki hissed.

Iason moved forward, scooping him up into his arms carefully. "I shall carry you."

"Gee...good thing I love being carried," Riki sarcastically growled, then caught a glimpse of the outside from the balcony window and craned his neck to see more. "T...take me over there..."

"As you wish," Iason agreed, carrying the young man to the balcony and letting him overlook the vegetation and view that was readily available to gaze upon. "Welcome to our new home, Riki."

Riki gazed out to the forest that surrounded them, and the mountainside that the home was built into and couldn't help but gasp in amazement. Never had he dreamed that something like this actually existed. He looked past the forest area and noticed an opening within the greenery and a deep blue blob within it, was that a lake or something? "This is...beautiful..." he admitted softly, adjusting his hold and wrapping his arms around Iason's neck gently and leaning against him more.

"I am glad you approve," Iason smiled, gazing out to the lush surroundings as well. "I know how much you enjoyed the Eos Gardens, therefore I figured something along the lines of this would make you happy."

"Y...you.." Riki started, but the realized he couldn't ask why Iason would find a place that made him happy—it was far too embarrassing. "Thanks..."

Hearing Riki express his gratitude made Iason's brain tingle with pleasure and his chest to feel warm. "You are most welcome, my love." He planted a kiss on the young man's forehead. "I hope we can enjoy it to the fullest together when you have recovered."

To Be Continued


	14. Bittersweet Feelings

Riki leaned against the balcony, smoking a cigarette from a pack that Cal had put into his bag from Eos. He was free from his cast, but he required someone to hold onto when he walked, and was reassured it was normal to do so for awhile. Riki was itching to go out and explore their new home, but Iason said he was busy needed to make phone calls, so he was waiting patiently and hoping that once he was done they could go out.

He inhaled deeply, listening to the tune coming from the console that Iason had purchased for him when he was stuck in the cast. He would tell Iason to just let him sit out on the balcony, and he would waste away the day listening to music, smoking and inhaling the pure air.

"I wish you would give those up," Iason sighed, wrapping his arms lovingly around the young man. "They're no good for your health."

"Being a pet wasn't good for my health," Riki countered, throwing the finished cigarette over the ledge and slowly turning into Iason's hold. "But I'm still here, ain't I?"

"Yes, you are," he agreed, leaning down and kissing the tanned neck. "But I still want you to be healthy by my side."

"I know."

Iason inhaled the young man's scent that was mixed with cigarette smoke. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah," Riki answered, leaning his head into Iason's chest. "I'm fine."

"Shall we go out for awhile today?"

Riki couldn't deny the feeling of excitement that rose up within him. "C...can we?"

"Of course." Iason pushed back softly, then planted a kiss on the tanned forehead. "I'll go inform Cal and have him prepare what we'll need."

—

Raoul approached the redhead's office, scanning a card and then entered. He watched the young man turn to him, his eyes narrowing but everything else about his remained cool and calm. "May I help you, Sir?"

"Ah, yes," Raoul answered. "Your Master had been forced into a situation which has left him no choice but to abandon Amoi."

Katze's eyes widened, but his stoic expression remained. "I beg your pardon?"

"He left you in my care," Raoul continued, sitting down on an office chair and crossing his legs.

"Where is Iason?" Katze demanded. "I only listen to his commands, as he is my Master."

"That is to be expected of Furniture," Raoul nodded. "However, I will not tolerate you doubting me and not obeying me. I am an Elite just as Iason is, and I demand you obey me." He watched the redhead glare slightly. "I have already explained that your Master was forced to leave Amoi, now he has left instructions on how you are to go about this situation or you will be killed by the other Blondies. Do I make myself clear, Katze?"

—

Riki stared around at the green, vibrant canopy that surrounded them. "Wow..." he breathed, leaning against Iason as he lost his balance. "It's even more beautiful up close." There were numerous kinds of plants and trees all around them, and within the vegetation were animals running freely, which was in itself a miracle.

"Yes, it is quite a difference from the barren lands of Amoi," Iason agreed.

"Wait!" Riki pushed off from Iason, hobbling over to a tree that had a bright orange and yellow fruit hanging from a vine and ripped it off. "Wow..." He broke it open, examining it's seeds as juice poured out from it's ripe insides. "What is this?"

"That would be a qariopaya," Iason answered, walking up behind and steadying Riki. "They are ripe and in season currently. They have a very sweet taste and the seeds are very bitter, so don't eat them."

Riki brought some of the fruit's inner flesh to his lips and took a bite. "Oh...my God..." he moaned, then held it up for Iason to try some. "It's so good..."

Iason grinned, enjoying a bite of the fruit. "Mm...yes, quite a sweet yet nice flavor."

Riki's eyes shot up to the tree, counting how many were hanging and looked ripe like the others. "Can we pick some on the way back?" he asked, spotting a few other fruits hanging alongside the qariopayas.

"Of course," Iason agreed. "We can try any of the ones that are safe to eat."

"Mm..." Riki took another bite of the qariopaya, savoring it's unique flavor that was unlike anything he'd ever had. There was never fresh fruit, vegetables or luxuries like that in Ceres, so this was a memorable experience and privilege. Sure, there would be fruit cut up and served while in Eos, but nothing beat the freshness of one pulled straight from the vine and wasn't imported or full of chemicals to help it grow or be preserved.

Iason grasped onto the young man's free hand, carefully pulling him closer so Riki wouldn't fall as they made their way deeper into the forest. He was extremely pleased that Riki had taken an immediate liking to this place. But he could tell that there were still feelings that needed to be dealt with. Riki was just been excited that they were no longer in Eos, but how did he feel about him now? Would Riki forgive him for all he had done? Or would he try and run away still? Did his heart yearn to be free from him completely, or just the role of pet and Eos? Perhaps he could find a way to show Riki that the Master and pet status didn't apply anymore. But how?

—

"Firstly," Raoul started. "Pack up your valuables, because you are moving into a closer proximity with me."

"You must be joking..."

"Far from it," he snapped. "Secondly, as per Iason's orders, we are to close off any accessible resources from off planet that were coming into Amoi through him. They all must disappear so the other Blondies struggle to meet their demands."

"There are hundreds of connections through Iason," Katze protested. "I can't just..."

"You must make it happen," Raoul denied. "Each connection must be closed off temporarily, but not abolished. And if cannot be, then you must ensure that any of the connections are exceptionally limited."

Katze leaned back into his chair. "Why would he need the connections closed or limited?"

"Our brother's lifestyles are rather lavish," Raoul answered. "Iason was a mediator as to how much they had access to, which prevented excessive use and possible war."

"And now that he's gone they're going to take as much as they want until there is nothing left," Katze realized. "And that will lead to a war between the planets if the ration is increased drastically."

"Yes, it could and it will," Raoul agreed. "That is why if it is harder to get, the chances of having wars with other planets will decrease. If they need a resource from off planet, they will have to create new connections that have limitations on them as all of them do to start out. And they will not be as foolish as to pick a fight with someone they need something from to keep Amoi functioning." He added. "Granted, because of this the people might experience an increase in prices, but in order to prevent conflict, something will have to be sacrificed."

Katze was quiet and then finally answered, opening up a screen. "I'll see what I can do."

Raoul nodded. "And when you are done, you are to come to Eos."

"What?" Katze looked over to the Blondie.

"After this is done, you are temporarily dismissed as Iason's assistant and shall become mine."

To Be Continued


	15. Shared Suffering

Riki opened his eyes, panting and feeling the bed tremble and had woken up from the movement and the fright of his dream. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, landing upon the figure who was hunched, his arms on his knees and his hands creating an arch so his fingers were pressing into the bridge of his nose. W...was Iason crying? It looked as if he were struggling to contain himself, but there was no weeping.

He reached out his arm, gently landing upon the bare trembling back. The Blondie twisted around, his eyes all blue and illuminated as if he were in Master mode. Riki flinched, but held his ground. "H...hey..." he whispered, concern thick in his voice.

Iason stared back at him for a moment, before laying back down in the bed and wrapping his arms around Riki tenderly. Riki was starting to get worried, it looked as if Iason were on the verge of having a mental breakdown if an android could. "Riki..." he whispered, his voice filled with a hard tone of desperation.

Riki found himself wrapping one arm around Iason, burying his face into the pale, smooth chest. "I...I'm here..."

In return, the Blondie pulled Riki flush to his body so they were pressing together. Riki could feel his heart beat pounding away while against Iason's body. "Just let me hold you," Iason whispered, his voice returning to it's natural soft tone.

"'Kay," Riki agreed, letting the blonde do as he pleased. He was surprised Iason hadn't taken him yet since their arrival, but was happy because he still felt a bit sore in his hip area and—not that he would admit it—was afraid of sex from the brutality he had experienced.

—

The dark eyes opened, feeling a soothing rhythm of stroking in his hair. He looked to Iason who had finally returned to normal and was watching him with his usual gentle eyes. "Hey..."

"Good morning," Iason whispered, kissing the tanned forehead.

"Are you all right?" Riki asked softly, starting to sit up against the pillows, but was pulled back into Iason's embrace. "Hey...Iason..."

"I apologize for worrying you," he answered, rubbing the tanned back.

Riki's back actually tingled with pleasure from the gentle touch. "W...what happened?"

Iason went quiet for a moment. "Jupiter..." he started, flinching. "...has been frantically reaching out to me for awhile now." He paused. "It's a horrid experience. It's as if Jupiter is screaming out for me to come home and...and I have to block it out and not let her know I can hear her."

Shit, Riki swore internally. That's rough.

"It's very hard to not give in," Iason explained, giving Riki a gentle squeeze. "But if I focus on something else I can block it out easier. Which is why I needed to hold you close, so I could count your heartbeats, listen to your breathing, inhale your scent, feel your heat against me..." He sighed. "Anything to keep my mind away from wandering back."

"So I'm your...anchor?" Riki whispered.

"Yes, you're my anchor," Iason answered, smiling. "You keep me from going mad from all of Jupiter's attempts to get me to respond and return." He nuzzled into Riki's nape. "We have a new life here, and I don't wish for it to cease."

A new life, Riki thought, enjoying the sound of that. "Yeah...neither do I..."

Iason felt his chest tighten. "I am very happy to hear that, Riki," he answered softly. "I was worried that...that you would still... detest me."

Riki sighed internally. "...ot anymore..."

"Pardon?"

"I don't hate you...anymore," Riki whispered, flushing with embarrassment.

Iason felt a weight leave his chest and began planting kisses all over the tanned skin. "Thank you, my love."

—

Katze stepped into the portal behind the Blondie, eyeing up the interior of Raoul's condo. It was somewhat similar to Iason's, but there was a few more pieces of vibrant colored furniture in the living space that gave off a different vibe than the calming affect in Iason's. There were a few pieces of art hung upon the off white walls, but nothing that showed any signs of overspending or flaunting status.

"I shall show you to your room," Raoul declared, leading the way through the condo and to an inner portal. He waited for Katze to step behind him and then entered and then stepped into a room that had crimson colored walls, white trimming, high quality wood flooring that was covered with patches of a white carpet. "This is your bed here, feel free to use any of the wardrobes or dressers for your..." He looked back at the single bag of belongings Katze brought. "Possessions."

The redhead looked at the massive bed with mahogany pillars and a crimson canopy lined with braided gold rope, then to the large screen mounted to the wall, a living space with two white sofas and a polished wooden coffee table, the gold framed art pieces and the other small but elegant decor in the room. He hesitated, feeling extremely unsettled by everything. "Is there not a simpler room?" he questioned.

Raoul gave the young man a pat on the shoulder. "This is the simplest room," he explained, then moved forward and gestured to a room around the corner. "That is the bathroom, do not worry about leaving any of your belongings in places you put them. The Furniture will not move them." He moved back towards the portal entrance. "Dinner is in an hour. Settle in and then come down and find me."

Katze was about to protest once again to all of this, but when he turned back the Blondie had vanished. "Bastard..." he sighed, setting his bag down on the bed that was adorned with high quality fiber bedding. He plunked down next to his bag and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to calm himself down from this overwhelming experience. He just couldn't get used to the idea of living in Eos again, but not as a Furniture or Iason's assistant. He was now the assistant of a mad biochemist who he feared might use him as a guinea pig.

—

Riki gasped, screaming in terror from his nightmare and pushing against the hands trying to grab him.

"Riki, Riki!" Iason beckoned, trying to ease the terrified mongrel. "It's all right, you're safe. You're safe, love." He gently embraced the young man, running his fingers through the dampened locks. He had gone to shower, leaving Riki on the balcony and had just finished dressing when he had heard his beloved screaming. The scream had sent a current of uneasiness through him, as it was too soon to be plagued with remembrances of that horrid day. "It's all right," he soothed, rocking the crying boy back and forth.

"Hurts," Riki whispered shakily. "It... hurts so... badly."

"Let me see," Iason whispered back just as softly, moving the fabric away and looking at the incision on his right side then the left. Everything looked fine, so he figured it must just be phantom pain from the nightmare. He gently rubbed his thumb over it, "Does it still hurt?"

Riki shook his head. "I'm...I'm fine." He was so embarrassed that he was crying, and furiously swiped at his tears.

"Would you like to come inside and eat?" Iason suggested. "Cal finished preparing a light meal for us."

"S...sure," Riki agreed, trying to get up on his own, but fell back down as he was still shaking. Iason helped him up and then wrapped an arm around him for support. "I can...do it. I'm fine now."

"Is it that hard to accept a simple gesture from me?"

Riki flinched, because it was true. "I'm fine. I don't need your help."

"You're getting it anyways."

"Whatever," Riki growled, but leaned more into Iason and allowed himself to be guided to the dinning room.

—

Katze stepped into the living area, glancing around and then saw the Blondie appear. "Ah, are you settled in?" he inquired, walking over to him.

"Yes," the redhead answered bluntly.

"Good, now come and eat."

Katze hesitated, it had been so long since he had sat down and ate with someone. He followed behind and watched Raoul sit down where the Furniture had pulled the chair back and the sat down where he was instructed to by Raoul and gave a nod to the young boy who pulled his chair back for him. He then watched the Furniture disappear and then come out of the kitchen, carrying trays of food and then presented the first one to the Blondie and then him. It was awkward as hell, because he sure as hell never had people tend to him other than the occasional time he went out to eat. But being at a table with a Blondie and being served was just wrong.

"Is there anything else I can get for you, Masters?" the boy inquired after he finished pouring the both of them wine.

Raoul waved his hand. "That will be all."

Katze stared down at his elegant dish, the weight of this whole fucked up situation hitting him. How could Iason abandon him? Had he not been loyal enough? was this a test? He became aware that eyes were upon him and turned to meet the green ones. "Is something wrong?" he asked, emotionless despite his internal turmoil.

Raoul shrugged. "Not for me, but you haven't started eating yet. Is the dish not to your liking?"

"No, no, it's quite fine." Katze picked up his utensil and stabbed politely into the food and then brought it to his mouth. He had zero appetite, and the food just made him feel sicker.

Raoul picked up his crystal glass of wine and sipped silently, puncturing his gaze into Katze. He was enjoying this very much. He had never really cared about the Furniture, but now that Katze was in his possession, his mind couldn't help but flare with test ideas. This was the first one, seeing if Katze had lost his Furniture ways or if he still was unsettled by such events such as eating with a Blondie at the table while he should be serving. Judging from the young man's hesitant ways, he could see that there was something still there and he eager to see how deep that training still ran in Katze's core.

To Be Continued


	16. Small Changes

Iason grasped onto Riki's hand, guiding him through the market filled with the locals. There were so many different handcrafted booths, fascinating sights, mesmerizing sounds and intriguing smells around them. Astreitania was definitely a diverse world compared to that of Amoi, the streets were lively but there was nothing sexual or exploiting like in Midas. There was a different vibe, one that was cheerful and exciting. "Quite different compared to Eos' market, no?"

"Yeah," Riki agreed, watching a man do a magic trick where he swallowed a sword. "I don't see anyone naked or half naked, that's for sure."

"Astreitania is based off a more moral system," Iason explained. "It is natural that there wouldn't be anything like that here." He pulled Riki closer, catching a few of the locals gazes as he stood well above even the tallest man. "Are you too warm?"

Riki shrugged. "I'm fine." He was getting warm with this sun beating down on him. He was grateful that he had his tank top from Eos with him, but the black fabric was soaking up the heat. It had been a long while since he had been out in the sun this much, so he wasn't used to it anymore. He loved and now hated the sunlight which was beating down hard upon him.

Iason rested his cool hand on the boy's forehead, feeling it's high heat . "Let's find some shade."

"I'm—" Riki was scooped up into the Blondie's hold and carried through an opening in the market past the booths to where an exotic tree was providing intense cold shade. "Ahhh..."

"So you weren't warm, hm?" Iason question, sitting down next to Riki on the grassy area. He leaned over, wiping off and then kissed the sweat covered forehead. "We'll have to buy you some more suitable clothing for this climate."

"I...I guess." Riki wearily opened up his eyes, staring at Iason who was wearing a light cream colored cotton dress shirt. It was the first time he had seen Iason in something so informal compared to his usual long sleeved and mandatory attire. He licked his lips which were suddenly very dry. "Never seen...you where a shirt like that..." Riki smirked. "God your arms are pasty white. Have they even seen sunlight?"

Iason grinned. "The compulsory Blondie dress code generally prohibits this sort of attire." He kissed the dry lips, licking them softly. "Do you like it?"

"Like what?" Riki inquired, feeling a bit less hot from the heat outside and more from the inside.

"These clothes on me," Iason answered.

"Make you...seem less like the way you were before."

"But do you like me dressed this way?"

Oh God, he was gonna make him say it. "Y...yeah..." Riki finally answered, averting his gaze and blushing.

Iason planted cool kisses all over the tanned face. "Then I'll dress like in a more casual fashion for you."

"Stupid..." Riki mumbled. "You...don't..."

Iason nipped the boy's earlobe. "Then let me be stupid if it makes you happy."

—

Katze followed silently behind Raoul, who was leading the way to his laboratory. He was beginning to hope had just hit his head and this was all some bullshit his mind had composed, as he was starting to fear for his life in the hands of this biochemist.

Another Blondie approached, stopping and observing the redhead. "Is that not Iason's?" Aisha inquired.

"No," Raoul immediately denied. "This is my assistant. He used to be in possession of Iason as Furniture, but now belongs solely to me." Raoul pulled a pass case from his breast pocket, showing the fellow Blondie the documentation which had just arrived this morning that identified Katze as Raoul's and was signed with the holy Tanagura seal.

Aisha hummed, but nodded. "You'd best keep that handy as I'm sure the others will question you as well."

"That is quite all right," Raoul hissed.

The Blondie nodded, bidding them farewell as he walked past them and to his destination.

"Was that...?" Katze asked softly.

"I have no doubts that most if not all the Blondies other than I were attempting to get rid of Iason," Raoul answered, stopping at a panel and pressing his hand to it. A hidden portal appeared and he gestured for the redhead to go first. "In you go."

Katze stepped through and immediately entered into a massive laboratory that was filled with several room and corners and levels. He couldn't help but wonder where in Eos this place actually was located, as it definitely was not on the other side of the wall the portal was on.

"What do you think?" Raoul inquired, casually striding over.

"Quite impressive and large."

"This is your new workplace," the Blondie introduced. "Are you feeling comfortable in this environment."

In all honestly, Katze hated it as it reminded him of the place he was taken when they programmed him to be a Furniture. He couldn't help but recall being strapped in a chair and forced to endure the hours of mental torment until he was numbed to everything other than his Master's order. It was a miracle that he had managed to disregard all of that while being Iason's Furniture as he was stealing the secrets of Tanagura. He remembered the illusion of a hard on that stealing the data gave him, and the pain as Iason sliced his cheek while reprimanding him.

Raoul watched as Katze reached up and touched his cheek where the scar was. Interesting, Raoul commented internally. He wanted to know what the redhead was thinking about so badly. He calmly walked over to a table off to the side and poured two glasses of an alcoholic beverage, before handing one off to the redhead. "I did not mean to disturb you," he lied. "Have a drink to relieve yourself."

Katze took a good sip of the drink, surprised that it actually calmed what was left of his nerves. "So, what exactly are we here for?"

"An examination."

"What are we examining?" Katze inquired, leaning back against a table as he suddenly felt light headed. Was this place getting to him?

"A new possession of mine," Raoul hinted.

Katze frowned, feeling a wave of dizziness. "What...kind of possession?" Why was this blonde being so cryptic? He shook his head to make the dizziness go away. "Is it...a pet? Or a pro...totype?" He suddenly realized. "You...bas...d..."

Raoul set his untouched drink down and slipped closer to the redhead, watching as he started to go limp. "Easy, easy," he instructed, setting the glass aside as Katze crumpled to the ground. "It's mandatory that I know everything about my new assistant," Raoul explained. "And there is much I would like to learn and test while you're in my care, Katze."

To Be Continued


	17. Gentle Kisses

Riki leaned over the balcony railing, gazing out to the paradise that was his new home. It still seemed surreal to him. He sighed happily, leaning further over the balcony railing and drooped lazily as if he hadn't a care in the world.

"Hmm," Iason hummed, slipping behind him and pressing his body to the tanned back. "I haven't ever seen you this relaxed. It's quite enjoyable."

The young man shivered from the contact of the cool skin and grabbed onto Iason arms that were around him and turned to face him. He nearly started to drool as he eyed up the Blondie's body. Iason had taken the clothing suggestion to heart, and was wearing a baby blue cotton top with buttons—but he hadn't done them up, giving Riki a full look at what was hidden under clothing most days.

"You're staring quite hard, my little mongrel," Iason teased, kissing the tanned forehead. "Is it that odd to see my skin exposed other than when we are mating?"

Riki flushed. "I...Its just..."

Iason chuckled, pulling Riki flush to his body. "I have a surprise for you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes," Iason answered. "We are going somewhere today. And I'm confident you will enjoy it with this heat."

—

Katze twitched, his eyes burning as they opened a crack. "Ack..."

"I wouldn't open your eyes," Raoul warned. "The drug I gave you causes your pupils to be extremely sensitive to light."

"What are you doing with me, Raoul?" Katze inquired, desperately clinging to his training which demanded him to be calm.

"Just a small observation," the Blondie answered, trailing his gloved finger along the redhead's nude upper body.

Katze wanted to flinch, but his training has him remain as still as a board. There was no pleasure he could feel, so the touch would have no effect on him in that regard. But he still disliked to be touched, as he had never had much physical contact in his life.

Raoul hummed in approval, "You remain expressionless, unresponsive and..." he listed, adding the last one in hopes of gaining some reaction. "Horrifically boring."

"I apologize for displeasing you," the redhead bluntly answered. "Are you content with your results now? May I please be let off of this table?"

"No."

Katze wanted to groan at the stupidity of this whole ordeal. What was this bastard seeking? He was an ex-Furniture, what was so scientifically fascinating about that fact that aroused Raoul's curiosity.

"Most Furniture are disposed of after they are finished with their tasks," Raoul reminded, giving the redhead's waistband a tug.

That's where this was heading, huh? Raoul wanted to see an older eunuch up close. "There is not much to see," Katze reminded. "If you will recall all that being a Furniture entails I believe you will be disappointed by the lack of manhood down there."

"I am well aware, but I am curious as to what yours specifically looks like after all this time."

Katze wanted to shoot himself in the face. "It does not change over time."

"Was there any scarring?"

"Minimal," Katze answered, wishing his eyes could open so he could see what was going on around him. If he did not have the training of a Furniture, he would definitely be horrified and panicking as any man who was tethered to a madman's examination table would be. Part of him clung to the thought that Raoul would not kill him, because he was only temporarily in the green eyed Blondie's care.

Raoul yanked down the redhead's pants. "Ah," he sounded. "Well, you certainly are missing the identifying factor that makes you a man."

Katze ground his teeth in his mouth. It was bad enough being a fucking Furniture, let alone being reminded and humiliated by another Blondie who was not his Master that he was no longer a man so to speak. "Are you satisfied now?" he inquired, a bit of venom slipping into his tone. "As you can see, there is nothing to observe."

The Blondie slipped on a pair of sterile gloves and traced the outline of the area. "And you feel nothing?"

"There is nothing to feel," Katze fired back.

"I had always wondered that even without a penis, perhaps a man could feel something akin to phantom pleasure in other regions of the body," Raoul explained. "Just as a wounded man missing a limb can feel phantom pain even when the limb is gone." He prodded at the area. "Or perhaps the Furniture training removes any of that possibility completely?"

"I believe your hypothesis is preposterous, now would you cease with touching me?"

"So you do feel something?" Raoul questioned, ignoring the request.

"Anger and disgust," Katze hissed. "That is what I feel when you touch me."

"I'm hurt that you feel that way when I touch you," Raoul answered, faking an upset tone.

"Enough of this." Katze tugged at the bindings. "I came because I thought you needed my assistance and that it would aid in the returning of my Master. I did not come to be your toy to play with!"

"You are assisting me," Raoul denied. "And if you were not in my care you would be dead already by the hands of my brother's. You should be thanking me, yet you are vulgar."

"I would rather be dead than a test subject for you," Katze snapped. "I have been through enough in the regards of science and testing, now untie me or I will tell Iason of what you are doing and I assure you that he will side with me."

"A bold statement," Raoul noted. "However, you are currently in my possession and I can do as I please with you at my discretion. As a child of Jupiter and a Blondie, I can do as I please in my profession."

Katze felt his stomach swirl at the sound of a tool being picked up and a zap. "What are you doing now?"

Raoul raised the device that would emit pulses of pleasure through an electrical current. "Another experiment."

—

Riki slipped into the cool lake , the water immediately soothing his body upon contact. "Ahh..."

Iason grinned as he stepped behind his beloved to embrace him and carefully walked behind him. "Do you like the water?"

"Yeah..." Riki answered. "Never really been in something this pure and blue."

"You could have used the pool more frequently if you enjoy this," Iason noted.

Riki ignored the comment, wading deeper into the water and enjoying the sand underneath his feet. It was so soft, and it had a unique texture that was soothing in itself. He gently grasped onto Iason's hands, signalling him to let go. "Can I try and swim a bit?"

Iason loosened his hold on him. "Yes, that is why I brought you here after all. I was hoping it would help you with any lingering issues with your hips."

"Yeah..." Riki agreed, feeling a bit touched that Iason was trying to help him recover no matter how much he refused. He slipped forward, breast stroking through the lake before gliding under to fully experience the refreshing qualities of the refined water. He finally burst through the surface and looked back at Iason who hadn't moved. "A...aren't you coming?"

The Blondie chuckled and then slipped forward into the water, disappearing underneath the blue layer. Riki frowned as he looked and tried to find where Iason was and then jumped as he felt arms around him a second before the blonde made an appearance. "I hadn't intended on coming this deep into the water," Iason admitted. "It's not very easy with this body."

"Then how the hell did you get here so fast?" Riki asked, then realized Iason was an android and could do anything stealthily even if it was a bit difficult. "Never mind."

Iason kissed the wet forehead. "Do your hips hurt at all?"

"Nah," Riki answered. "They're fine."

"Wonderful." Iason straightened up, trying to maintain lightness so he wouldn't sink down. "Don't let me stop you. Feel free to continue, I just wanted to see you swim more from a closer point."

Riki nodded, slipping back under the water and relishing in the feeling of gliding effortlessly without worry.

—

Katze jolted against the straps. "K...kuu..."

"Interesting," Raoul commented. "In place of pleasure your body has signaled the feeling to be pain. I thought for sure some stimulation would have created some basic feeling of pleasure."

"No...way..." Katze hissed. "I told you that there is nothing to feel pleasure with!"

"Yes, but you saying so needed to be confirmed," Raoul argued. "As your body could have said otherwise."

"E...nough!"

Raoul reluctantly stopped the device, watching as the redhead went limp in the holds. The Blondie reached out and clicked open clasp that was stopping the fluid in IV tube attached to Katze, allowing it to enter. "I'll let you off here for today," he decided. "But I still have many, many more methods I am eager to test on you, Katze." He reached out and touched the young man's face which wasn't even coated in sweat despite the pain, proving just how well Katze was able to contain himself. "Very eager indeed..."

—

The mongrel huffed, rising up in the water and then pushed the hair out of his eyes. "Hey...I'm getting out for a moment." He hobbled over tiredly to the towel that was laid out on the sandy surroundings of the lake and lowered himself. They had spent a long amount of time in the water. Even though it was mostly just him swimming and Iason watching him while occasionally floating alongside him, it was still very enjoyable. His eyes focused in on Iason who was coming towards him, and he couldn't help but feel arousal course through him as he observed Iason's wet body. The blonde locks were messy and dripping wet, the water was trickling down the pale skin and making everything glisten and seem more defined, and the snug fitting black swim shorts seemed to drastically outline the large bulge that was usually concealed underneath white slacks.

Iason stepped out of the water, pushing his messy hair back and out of his eyes that then locked with Riki's. He held the pose for a moment, amused by his beloved's gaze that was wandering his body.

Riki found himself licking his lips while he felt his own shorts tighten in the front. How the hell did Iason look sexy in everything that touched his body? "Fuck..." he whispered, looking down and seeing his predicament. He looked back up and saw two blue eyes peering at him as the blonde crouched in front of him. "I...I..."

Iason silently pushed Riki back onto the towel, sliding his hand into the swim shorts and grasping onto the erection and freeing it so everything was exposed. "Be good and stay still."

Riki watched in mute amazement as Iason freed his own arousal and started to rub it against his. They had never done this before, and he couldn't deny how incredibly arousing it was to watch. "Hnn...Nggh!" He was so pent up and eager to cum and he really did want Iason so badly, but he was still so afraid of being brutalized again if penetrated. Was that why Iason was doing this? Did he know somehow he was afraid? "Ah, so, good...ah!"

Iason wrapped his elegant fingers around both of their erections and gently slid his hand up and down while still rubbing against him. He looked down into Riki's eyes, watching as the dark haired boy tensed up while clawing at the sand.

"Uhh...ohh!" Riki moaned, then huffed as the motions stopped and he lost the pleasure that was reaching it's peak. "W...what—aaah!" He ran his fingertips into the blonde hair as Iason began to suck his whole length hard after teasing the tip with a skillful tongue. "Wa—, Iason, I can't—" He felt pleasure pool in his hips and was afraid, still, of the pain from the ring that was no longer there. It always hurt so bad and he didn't want to hurt again. "Iason!"

"Cum Riki," Iason commanded.

Riki's body snapped as if he were an elastic releasing, the pleasure of a pain free climax sending his body into spasms. "Aaahhhh! Hah...haa..." he moaned, burying his head into the towel while his body continued to convulse in ecstasy and his seed shot into the warm crevice. When he opened his eyes, he saw Iason who leaning over him and reached up his arms, wrapping them around the blonde and pulling him down for a gentle kiss.

When it was finished, Iason straightened up, smiling as he looked down at his lightly panting mongrel. "Come, let's head back and have a shower before dinner." He reached out his arms, scooping the tired mongrel up in the towel before rising up and carrying him back down the path that led to their home.

To Be Continued


	18. Steady Progress

Iason gently caressed Riki's body from behind, watching with keen eyes as the mongrel flinched when his fingers trailed along his lower half and hips. He rested his free hand which was wrapped around the mongrel upon the tanned chest, feeling the accelerated heartbeat beneath his fingers. Riki was still afraid of being touched down there, and even though Iason was eager to make love to his beloved, he vowed to be patient and allow the young man time to recover.

He brought his hand up, settling for caressing the mongrel's chest. "I won't hurt you," he whispered, feeling Riki tremble beneath his touch. "I apologize for scaring you."

Riki wanted to hang his head in shame. It wasn't Iason who had scarred him, but he couldn't shake the horrid fear that coursed through him when he remembered the abuse instead of feeling the gentle touches. "Sorry," he choked, his breathing faster just from the slight touch. "I'm...s...sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, love," Iason purred in his ear, planting a kiss upon the neck. "I do not want you to be afraid of me. We will slowly overcome your fear."

"'Kay," he agreed in a whisper, coaxing his body to calm down.

"Would you like to try doing other things?"

"O...other things?" Riki stammered. "L—like what?"

—

Katze peeled open his eyes painfully slower, ensuring it wasn't going to hurt like last time. He was relieved when they opened, but lost that feeling the moment he looked around and realized where he was. It was a room, fairly large, but empty. There was a desk and a computer console on top, but that was the only visible furnishings other than the bed. There was a white and mellow grey hue everywhere. He looked down at the bed he was upon, then focused in on the pale green hospital gown he was in. "Why am I in the...?" he started, then looked to the clearing viewing window that was in the far side of the wall. "Fuck..."

Raoul had placed him in one of his live specimen living cells. The room was rigged with cameras, and the viewing window allowed easy access to see in and observe the specimen inside—much like a fish in a tank.

"Are you feeling well?" an all too familiar voice over a speaker inquired.

Katze glared up at the glass, spotting the familiar figure on the other side. "Why am I not surprised you've placed me in a cell?"

Raoul grinned. "You are a very intelligent being who lacks emotion, that is why."

The redhead scoffed. "If that is so, then I suggest you gather up every Furniture in existence and test them, as we are all the same."

"Falsehood," Raoul denied. "You are a different breed of Furniture. That is why I am intrigued."

"There is no 'different breed' when it comes to a brain washed human."

The Blondie shrugged, his white ceremonial outfit shifting with the movement. "I lack evidence to support or disprove that."

"How long are you intending on keeping me in this?" Katze demanded. "I could be doing many other things rather than being used for your amusement."

"You may use the computer over there at your disposal," Raoul encouraged. "When I return from my meetings we shall resume the testing."

Katze watched the Blondie leave his sights, leaving him in God knows what area of the laboratory with only a grey wall to see through the window. He flopped back down on the bed. "That bastard..." he sighed.

—

Riki panicked as Iason placed him on top of him and felt his erection's heat against his skin. "No, no!" he screeched in terror, trying to get out of the gentle hold. "I don't want it! No!"

"Easy, Riki," Iason breathed, moving his hands grasp to Riki's torso to ensure he didn't touch the tanned hips. "Calm down, love. I will not penetrate you, I promise."

Riki grasped onto the hands around his body, shaking violently in terror and panting. "Really?"

"I will not hurt you," he promised, his voice a soothing and seductive whisper. "I only want to pleasure us both, without penetrating and scaring you. Do you understand?"

"O...OK," Riki agreed, winding his fingers tightly with Iason's.

Iason nodded. "I will not move, you are in control of this. We will change positions once you are used to it."

Riki had to admit that he had never been on top of the Blondie, but he couldn't help but feel a bit better. It helped his frantic mind realize that Iason wasn't pinning him down and raping him until he bled. "A...ah...!" He jolted, feeling the hot erection rub against him as he moved slightly. "W—wait!" He could feel the panic clawing at his heart and lungs inside and he started to struggle, scared that the massive length would slip into and pound mercilessly into him.

"Look at me, Riki," Iason whispered, reaching up and touching the tanned face.

It took Riki almost a full minute to calm down enough to open his eyes to look at the gentle blue eyes and then down through tear blurred vision to see Iason's erection pressed against the pale stomach beneath him. It was idle and resting in between the crease of his ass and against the underside of his scrotum. It wasn't entering him, the burning and slick heat was just resting against him—and it felt really good. "Uhh...hah...!" he moaned softly, shivering from the pulsating heat. "Nnngh...!"

Iason let go of one of Riki's hands, but remained grasping onto the other one tightly and began to loosely stroke the young man's flaccid penis. "Does this feel good? Are you still afraid?"

"I'm...nnn...not afraid..." Riki gasped. "Uuaagh..." He felt himself getting hard, and was filled with sheer joy at the familiar feeling of being hard and having the hot flesh against him. He wasn't completely fucked up, was he?

"I will not move," Iason reminded. "You move as much as you wish, love. That way you are in control."

Riki sat there for a moment, trembling but slowly began to move his hips and rub against Iason's erection beneath him. Just the feeling of their skin rubbing like this was enough to get him hot and bothered. He periodically glanced at Iason and the massive erection he was grinding against, watching for any signs of movement, but the Blondie remained true to his word. Riki began to get closer, rubbing frantically against the pulsating member beneath him, until he threw his head back and cried out in release. His cum splashed the pale stomach before he collapsed atop of the blonde, and was caught by gentle hands.

"Was that good?" Iason inquired, kissing the tanned forehead. "You're not afraid, right?"

"No," Riki denied in a whisper. "Felt...good." He laid there for a moment, then started to shake as he was hit with tears. "...S...sorry..."

Iason felt his chest tighten as he held his beloved close. "It is not your fault, Riki." He gentle caressed the black hair, and soothingly rubbed his hand along the tanned skin. "No one could expect you to not be afraid after what you endured."

"S...still..." Riki choked.

"I am not angry at you," the blonde assured. "I will not punish you for experiencing something traumatic and being afraid because of it."

"'Kay..."

"Rest," Iason encouraged. "We won't do anymore tonight until you're more comfortable."

To Be Continued


	19. It Has Begun

"We must create new networks to gain more resources," Orphe declared. "I have searched all of them, and many of the most valuable previous ones have been discontinued."

"How is that possible? There were many connections to the other planets," Gideon pointed out. "How could they just vanish?"

"Several of the networks were through Iason's name, therefore they are no longer valid," Orphe explained.

Aisha's lips flickered into a small grin. "He took everything and left."

Raoul could feel the tension rising in the room, but held back from speaking. If any of his brothers decided he was to be exiled as well, he would lose years upon years of research material in his laboratory and there would be little chance of regaining it.

"What's this I hear about you capturing Iason's old Furniture?" Gideon questioned, staring straight at Raoul.

Raoul shrugged. "Since Iason wasn't needing him anymore, I decided to do a new study on how to reclaim lost feelings of the body." He looked around at the raised eyebrows, and then tapped his wristband to project footage of Katze locked away. "In simpler terms, I am going to see if even a Furniture can reclaim feelings of pleasure and other emotions they have been stripped of. Furniture are not completely void of emotion, but they are to denounce it, but my hope is that with this Furniture who excels at hiding his feelings we can learn how to improve the others. This could also allow a better understanding of Human emotions and how to manipulate them."

There was a murmur around the table, but no one spoke against him.

"Interesting concept," Gideon nodded. "That could help us understand why a few Furniture in the past have acted out."

Orphe ground his teeth. "Yes. That would prevent more Furniture such as Iason's Furniture Daryl and Aisha's Furniture Simon from causing more mayhem."

"We look forward to seeing your results, Raoul," Aisha lowly responded.

—

Katze rose instinctively as Raoul entered rather quickly towards him. "What do you want from me?"

Raoul grasped onto the redhead's arm, yanking him against his body. "I have told the others of my plan to use you for scientific purposes." He tightened his grip, impressed when the young man didn't even flinch. "And now you have been given a purpose so that you cannot be harmed."

"Not be harmed?"

"Yes," Raoul answered, grasping onto the lightly tanned chin.

"Yet you plan on doing that very thing," Katze growled. "But in the name of science."

"I assure you." Raoul's lips twitched in a grin. "Dying by my blade would be far better than dying by the hands of my brothers."

—

Riki silently padded out of the room, slipping past Cal who was cleaning one of the bathrooms. He was about to pass Iason's office when he froze.

"It is utter madness," Iason spoke to the screen. "Jupiter has aggressively been trying to communicate recently."

"That's interesting, as Jupiter has been denying everyone communication here," a very familiar voice answered. "It's horrifically silent."

"What do you think she is planning?"

"I believe she is reviewing evidence from the security footage and attempting to figure out why you have vanished," Raoul answered. "All she knows is you resigned from the Syndicate and have abandoned Amoï and her."

Iason's breath caught. "I..." He struggled to find the words. "I had no choice."

"I understand," Raoul softly acknowledged. "But Jupiter will soon glean enough evidence and request meetings with all of the Blondies, and when she digs around in their brains and finds out the truth, what do you think she'll do?"

Iason was quiet for a moment, then simply stated. "I cannot go back."

"Jupiter will force you to," Raoul advised. "She will drag you back by the capable hands of her fleet while you are incapacitated by her mind control."

Riki backed away from the door, fear consuming him at the thought of returning. He couldn't go back. He had just recovered, and he was finally happy and free from being a pet!

"Master Riki?" Cal gently spoke.

Riki jumped up, startled and ran past Iason's office, heading down the steps to the lower level. He caught a glimpse of Iason's eyes full of concern staring directly at him as he sprinted by, making his chest tighten. He winced in pain as he wasn't supposed to exert himself too much still, but he couldn't help it, he had to get away.

"Riki!" Iason called, hurrying past the stunned young sandy blonde boy and down the steps after his beloved. "Riki, stop running."

Riki stepped into the lift that would take him to the exit, pressing the close door button like mad. He watched as the Blondie hurried forward, but disappeared as the doors slid together.

"Riki!" Iason pounded on the metallic doors. "Riki, let me explain!" He listened hard, but heard no response and saw that the lift had been paused. "Riki, if you can hear me please just listen to me."

Silence.

The mongrel pressed his ear to the door, waiting for the blonde to speak. He needed to hear that they weren't going back. Please, please, please say we aren't. Please.

"I'm unsure of how much you heard, but Raoul has told me that Jupiter is going to proceed in questioning my brothers," Iason explained. "And when she locates me, I will have to return."

Riki's heart dropped as he smashed the button to continue downwards. If Iason had to go back, he wasn't going to. He had just broken free from being a pet, and he sure as hell wasn't going back to that life, the hate and suffocation.

"Riki!"

Finally the lift opened and Riki sprinted out of the home and into the pouring rain, running into the opening before the steps that led further into the island. He blocked out Iason's calling for him over the pouring rain.

—

"Get your hands off me," Katze hissed, slapping away the man's hands. "I am not a science experiment, I am Iason Mink's assistant!"

"Iason is not here, and he has handed you off to me," Raoul denied. "Now. Behave."

"I refuse to cooperate with this nonsense!"

Raoul clicked his tongue, his eyes turning completely chilling green. "You shall obey me."

Katze couldn't shake the horrific fear that pulsed through him as he looked at the eyes of nothing but icy green. "You are not my Master, and you never will be."

"I beg to differ," Raoul denied, pulling out the newest registration permit from his breast pocket. "This validates you as belonging to me—permanently."

Katze read the writing on the permit. His name and the status of PERSONAL SCIENTIFIC ASSET was engraved and approved by the official and legitimate Tanagura's seal. "What the fuck, the other pass was a fake, but this... I am not yours! I belong to Iason!" He pushed away. "This is a fucking joke. This has to be a sick fucking joke!"

Raoul grasped onto the redhead's chin, then pulled him so their bodies were flush. "I hear no one laughing." A sudden shudder overtook Eos, causing both men to look around as the lights began to flicker. "...It has begun. Jupiter is seeking justice for Iason's disappearance."

—

"Riki!" Iason yelled, hurrying down the steps and after the fleeing young man. If Riki ran away now and managed to get off planet, he would never be able to find him now that the ring was gone and he had limited access to his resources.

Riki dashed down the stairs and then jumped straight into the slippery mud of the forest around there home. The dirt squished under his feet and caked his legs as he ran surprisingly well even with a bit of pain. "I'm not going back!" he screamed, his voice nearly being drowned out by the heavy pain pelting his body.

"Stop running!" Iason demanded, charging after his beloved and slowing as Riki halted, partially hidden by a thick tree. "Riki..."

"Stay back!" Riki screamed to Iason. "I'm not going to Eos again! I'm not returning to that life! I'm not a pet anymore!"

"We are not going back unless Jupiter locates me, Riki," he yelled through the rain, knowing full well that Jupiter would locate him eventually.

"I don't care! You can go! I'm..." He felt his chest tighten at the thought of Iason leaving him behind. "I'm not going back to be a pet!"

"Riki, there are rules even I cannot bend with Jupiter."

"I'm not going back! Why can't we just stay here, it's...it's nice and..." I'm free, he added silently. "Open here."

"I will have to return." Iason took a small step forward, his clothing drenched in rain water and weighing him down deep into the mud. "I cannot complete my tasks as a Blondie here."

"You're not a Blondie anymore!" Riki yelled. "You left! That means you're free of the title!"

"I will always be a Blondie, Riki. I am an Android created by an Artificial Intelligence, just as you are a Mongrel who was born in the Slums."

"It's not fair! We...we're happy here! We're free! And...and you've changed!"

"I will admit I enjoy it here, yes," Iason agreed, taking another step forward to the wild cat ready to flee. "But we are never free from reality, Riki."

Riki ground his teeth. "I'm not going back to being a pet!" He turned on his heal, running deeper into the forest area and bursting through the clearing and onto the next landing with another set of stairs to go deeper into the forest area. "I'll never go back to that!"

"Riki!" Iason yelled, chasing after him yet again. He jumped down as Riki started down the next set of stairs, watching in horror as the mongrel slipped and went tumbling down the slippery stone steps, a sickening crunch meeting his advanced hearing even with the pouring rain as the tanned body slammed down several times. "Riki!"

—

Jupiter observed her children that were in their creation chambers, debating which action to take. She was furious. Never had she calculated that her children would turn on her Favored Son. What was worse was the fact that she hadn't caught on sooner. It had been weeks since Iason's disappearance, and that was as much time as she needed to gather the evidence and pillage through the security tapes and break through barriers.

How could you betray your own sibling out of greed?

She had also seen the footage of Iason's pet being tortured, and the pained expression upon her Son's features. Never before had she seen this face, and it confounded her. Never had Iason acted this way until that pet from the Slums; it pleased and concerned her greatly. Iason had taken on a different way of thinking and a more Humanistic personality in regards to his pet as of recently compared to the beginning. First she had been against it, but now that he was gone she was reconsidering. She had thought it was a weakness, but perhaps it was the key to her desire to bridge the gap between Humans and Androids?

I am disappointed.

Jupiter descended back to her resting spot, leaving the Blondies trapped in their frozen states within the chambers. She connected to the ever so fading consciousness attachment she had with Iason and attempted to contact him again, willing to negotiate anything to have him return.

To Be Continued


	20. Steady Heartbeats

Iason grasped onto his precious partner, horror in his blue eyes as he examined the battered and bloodied body. "Riki, Riki!" he panicked, calling to his unconscious lover. "Love, please, open your eyes! Riki!"

He lowered his head down, pressing his ear against the soaked clothed chest, his advanced hearing picking up the sound of a heartbeat past the roaring storm. "Please, hold on, Riki! I'll get you help, just please, love, hold on!"

—

Riki opened his eyes, his vision blurry at first before it cleared to reveal he was in the bedroom. He shifted his body slightly, alerting Iason who was resting next to him and he looked up into worried blue eyes. "H...hey..."

Iason let out a sigh of relief and planted a gentle kiss upon the quivering lips. "Riki...do you have any idea how worried I was?" he breathed.

"S...sorry," Riki answered in a whisper.

"I have felt that feeling before, and I was hoping to avoid it again," Iason sadly reminded, planting a kiss on the tanned hand he was holding as he sat down again.

Riki felt tears well up in his eyes. "I...I can't go...back..."

There was a flash of hurt and regret in Iason's eyes, before it was masked. "I understand," he agreed softly.

Riki winced as he tried to move, then panicked as he couldn't feel his lower half and his left arm. "What happened to me? What happened?" he gasped.

Iason gently pushed the mongrel down, who was on the verge of hysteria. "Riki, Riki. Calm down. Riki, please!" He pressed his forehead to the now sweat covered one. "Shhh, love. You are going to be all right." He kissed the tear covered cheeks. "You are all right."

"M...my legs...can't feel them...!" he choked, trying to look down, but only saw the sheets.

"Calm down, love. Breathe slowly, breathe slowly."

Riki tried to copy Iason's imitation, but his heart was racing and his chest was aching. "Haa...haa...haaa..."

"Breathe, Riki," Iason soothed, lovingly caressing his face. "Breathe..."

After a moment, Riki managed to recover, but fear still gripped his heart.

"The doctors gave you a pain relief shot," Iason explained. "You bruised your hip bones very badly, but they are not broken. You have been numbed until the pain subsides, as your hips were still sensitive before." He stroked the dark locks. "You broke two ribs and your left wrist though..." He ran his hand over the mongrel's forehead. "And you hit your head very hard. But you will recover."

Riki felt relief flood over him, as he had feared his limbs had been amputated. "I'm...sorry..."

Iason shook his head softly. "You should have let me explain, Riki..." he scolded softly, grasping onto the mongrel's face gently. "You know I love you, do you not? You know I would never hurt you."

Riki felt his throat tighten, and a lump form within the constriction. A sob shook his body, causing a dulled pain in his chest. "I—I...!" he sobbed. "I know—that now...!"

Iason gently wrapped his arms around Riki's upper body, avoiding his hurt areas. "I will always love you, Riki," he promised, kissing his face in several spots. "I will never hurt you. I only want you to be happy."

"Lo—" Riki sobbed, grasping onto Iason with his good hand. "Love you—hic—so much...!"

A sharp, but warm feeling punctured Iason's chest as he held his crying mongrel close, murmuring loving phrases to him to sooth him. He did not stop even when Riki fell asleep from crying and was deeply unconscious due to the pain relief.

—

Raoul watched as Katze winced, finally. "Ah...there it is! The moment I have been waiting for!"

Katze shot a glare up at the Blondie. "You sick bastard, what did you do to me!" He struggled against the examination table straps, his body spasming in response to whatever drug had been administered to him. "U...ugh..."

"What does it feel like?" Raoul inquired, his digital observation screen open and ready to record the data. "Does it hurt? Is it pleasurable? Is it a stinging pain, a burning pain? Tell me!"

"Uu...ughhhh!" Katze screamed, throwing his head back in agony.

Raoul scowled as he glanced at the heart monitor, which showed a severe incline. He reached out and touched Katze's neck, feeling the rapid heartbeat under the trembling skin. "Katze!" he called, giving the face a slap. His heart jumped as Katze's eyes rolled back in his head. "Don't you dare!"

—

Riki relaxed in Iason's arms, resting his head against the blonde's chest. His head was muddled, but he was certain that whatever was happening felt really good. "Hmm..." he sounded, leaning into Iason's touch as he stroked his hair.

"Are you hurting?" Iason whispered, stopping his caresses.

"Mmnm," Riki sounded, giving his head a shake. "Feels...good..."

Iason smiled softly, continuing his touches. "I love you, Riki..." he whispered, leaning down to the young man's ear.

Riki craned his neck upward, catching the lips with a gentle kiss and murmuring a soft reply.

The Blondie felt his chest melt at the very soft response and continued to sooth the black locks as his lover drifted back into unconsciousness. "I will never not love you, Riki..."

—

Raoul pressed the panels to the redhead's chest, shocking him and then glancing to the monitor to see if it worked. "Damn you!" he hissed, upping the voltage and repeating the action. "If you die on me, I will rip your brain from your body and transplant it into a pet and sell you to a brothel!" He glanced at the monitor, seeing that there was a pulse detected and threw the paddles aside. "Katze, Katze, wake up!" He slapped the cheek, watching as the eyes within the face opened drunkenly and then closed before reopening. "How dare you almost die on me!"

Katze struggled to focus on the Blondie, but when he did, he frowned. "Who are you?" he asked softly.

Raoul blinked, looking the redhead up and down. "Katze?" he called, concerned and reached out to the forehead, amazed there was only a thin sheen of sweat on it.

"...Who...are you?" Katze repeated, his eyes piercing the blonde in confusion.

To Be Continued


	21. Whatever It Takes

The sound of screaming filled the air as Jupiter began periodically shredding through the selected few Blondie's minds. Somehow they had concealed their crimes deep within their cores, but she could sense the guilty people from the outer layers.

What have you done? she thundered, observing the bits and pieces of the Blondie's memories.

The screen lit up with one of the final pieces of information she was seeking, the meeting where Iason had stepped down from being the Syndicate leader. Jupiter linked the memory with the one in which Iason's pet was being tortured and the motive for his disappearance became absolutely clear.

Now she just had to find out where he had gotten to.

—

Riki opened his eyes, his body numbed from pain and comfortable as he stared up Iason who had his arms wrapped around him and his eyes closed. His heart beat a bit faster as he stared at the perfection above him. It was so odd how before he used to see Iason as a demon in an angelic disguise, but now he was seeing more of Iason he had always wished would show itself more. A wave of arousal hit him hard as he wanted so badly to feel the warmth of being connected, but there was still the lingering dread of being penetrated that filled his heart with fear.

"Riki?" Iason called softly, reaching down and touching his face. "Are you all right, love? Are you hurting?"

"I'm...fine," he assured, shifting his legs slightly to try and end his growing erection.

Iason's eyes glanced downward, spotting his predicament. "You're in the mood, I see."

"No!" Riki fired back swiftly, his voice filled with fear in that one word. "It's nothing."

Iason pondered what to do, he needed to gain Riki's trust back and show him he would not harm him. There was one extreme option he could try, and that one seemed to be the only conclusion he could reach. "Just this once," he breathed, slipping out from behind the mongrel.

—

Raoul frowned, watching as Katze stood there and made no attempt to leave. The portal door was wide open, yet the redhead made no moves for it. "The door," Raoul prompted. "is open."

Katze looked over. "So it is."

An unnerving sense of alarm filled him from head to toe. "What is your name?"

"Katze," he answered.

"And what is your profession?"

"I am a Furniture," Katze responded, then paused. "Are you my Master?"

Raoul felt the alarm suddenly turn to dread, as he realized that the drug he had administered had somehow reverted the young man's mind frame back in time. "Yes," he lied, seeing his opportunity to possibly use this to his advantage. "I am your Master."

"And what may I call my Master?"

"You may call me Master Raoul," he answered.

—

"What...what are you doing?" Riki panicked, watching as Iason stripped and then got between his legs. "Wait! Wait, don't!" The Blondie slipped down, taking Riki into his mouth and lovingly sucking and licking his way up and down the mongrel's manhood. "A...ah...! Iason!" He tensed in fear, knowing that after Iason pleasured him a bit, he would ignore his pleas and take him. "Huuu...ha!"

Iason pulled up after Riki was slick with saliva and precum and then rested on his knees in between Riki's legs and then slid his hand along the tanned leg, planting a kiss on the skin. "Relax, love. I'm not going to penetrate you," he smiled, reaching out his hand and brushing his fingers against the lips and softly instructed. "Suck them."

"Mmf?" Riki sounded, obediently sucking on the digits fearfully until Iason pulled them out. "P...please, Iason." He watched as Iason pulled his hand back and cringed as he thought the fingers would brutally invade him. But it didn't happen. He slowly peeked open his eyes and stared in disbelief.

Iason smiled at the look of shock on Riki's face as he pushed his own fingers into himself. "I said I would not penetrate you, did I not?" he softly reminded, skillfully moving his fingers around so there was a mixture of saliva and precum lubricating him.

"W...what are you...doing?" Riki sputtered, not believing his eyes as Iason moved and straddled him to allow his erection to poke an area he could only fantasize of taking as his own once.

"I am trying to show you that I will never hurt you, Riki," he softly explained, reaching out and caressing the tanned face. "I only want to bring you pleasure."

"W..wa...ahh...!" Riki moaned, the feeling of Iason going down on him causing his body to jolt back in pleasure. Without the pain relief he would have hurt, but right now he felt nothing but pleasure. His penis felt as if it were being clamped around by a burning hot, slick hand as he pushed deeper inside the Blondie until he was completely engulfed inside. "Oh God...fuck...ah...I...Iason..."

Iason limited the amount of his weight pressed upon the mongrel and balanced it out on his knees that were on either side of Riki. He watched as Riki's face was filled with expressions of pleasure that he had never seen before and was mesmerized by them. "Do you feel good, love?" he asked in a husky voice that sent shivers down Riki's spine.

"Fuck...you're tight," Riki gasped, scrunching the sheets in his good hand as his body trembled with pleasure. It had been so long since he had actually fucked someone. "So...good..."

The blonde released a soft chuckle, patting the mongrel's lower abdomen. "I'm going to move," he whispered, sending another wave of anticipation through the mongrel. "Be a good boy and stay still."

—

Katze tailed behind Raoul, heading out to a meeting with him. "Are you certain I should be coming with you, Master?" he inquired.

Knowing full well that Jupiter was stealing Blondies and that he would soon be on the victim list, he couldn't risk someone getting to Katze before he was taken away. Jupiter would definitely use him as the last link to locate Iason after she had punished the guilty party. "Yes, you will tend to my needs if I require you," he answered back, sliding into his vehicle seat. He looked up at Katze who stood there, unsure. "Get in the other side." He opened the passenger door.

Katze's eyes went wide, but he nodded and obeyed. "Thank you, Master," the redhead softly spoke, his head low and his body rigid due to the abnormal privilege of being allowed in a passenger seat with his Master.

A nagging feeling of fear tugged at Raoul's brain, knowing that if Iason returned and Katze wasn't normal, the Blondie would be ruthless. "There is no need for you to be so worried," Raoul defended, a bit appalled by how much Katze had reverted to the boyish qualities of a Furniture. Had the drug brought out the side of Katze that was wiped away too? As the redhead had always been cool and a bit mischievous from the moment he was brought into Eos, what were these emotions he was displaying?

"My apologies, Master."

Raoul had the urge to roll his eyes. "Relax, you are not under scrutiny and you have done no wrong."

"Yes, Master," Katze answered obediently. "My apologies, Master."

It took every ounce of control the Blondie had to not shake the young man furiously and hope to awaken the dormant side of him. When his meeting was over he would create as many drugs as it took to gain back the normal ex-Furniture's behavior and ways, just to see what it took to bring him back. If Katze had never shown this side of himself before, why would it awaken now of all times? Was it proof that Katze had denounced it so well and it was always there or...was it much worse? Had he wiped the normal Katze into oblivion and replaced him with what a true Furniture was supposed to be?

—

"Ohhh...fu...ck..." Riki moaned, his eyes closing in bliss as he savored the satisfying grip of the Blondie's insides. "Oh God. So good, Iason. I'm...oh fuck yes..."

Iason smirked at Riki's vocalizations, continuing his deft movements and controlling the constriction of his insides around Riki. Although he did not utter a sound of his pleasure, seeing his beloved in such a blissful state was enough to arouse him significantly. He had not been wrong to sacrifice himself in such a fashion to relieve Riki and hopefully gain back trust with him. "Is it good, Riki?"

"Fuck yeah..." Riki agreed eagerly, panting. "D...don't—ohh...don't stop!"

The Blondie complied, continuing his movements upon the mongrel and leaned down to kiss him, carefully avoiding his chest so he would not hurt the places with broken ribs.

Riki in response reached up with his good arm and wrapped it around Iason's neck, the blonde locks filtering through his fingers. "Mmmn...fuck. Oh fuck, Iason! Gonna—!" Riki grasped onto Iason's hair, his hips trembling violently as he released a loud groan while his hot semen shot deep within the Blondie's passage. At the same time, a rush of pleasure overtook Iason and he pressed himself downwards, his insides clamping down on Riki and sending several powerful pulsations of immense pleasure to his beloved. Riki laid there for a moment, his mind blank and panting as his eyes rolled back in ecstasy before being covered by his eyelids. "Holy fuck...haa...haa..."

Iason removed himself from his partner, rolling over beside him and gently brushing the dark, sweat covered strands out of his eyes. "Did you enjoy that, my love?" he asked softly.

"That...haa...was fucking awesome," Riki panted, finally opening his eyes and looking to Iason. "You've been keeping that from me all this time?"

Iason leaned forward, chuckling softly and kissed the trembling lips. "Maybe if you're good, I'll let you do it once again when you're healed," he grinned, slipping his tongue inside to tease the lightly panting mongrel. "But for now, rest. You'll hurt yourself if we do not stop here for today."

Riki exhaled softly, resting his head comfortably in the pillows. "Did...did you feel good?" he asked softly.

A swirl of happiness fluttered through Iason's chest as his beloved was concerned about his pleasure as well. "Of course," he answered. "I enjoy everything we do together, Riki."

"Good," Riki sighed gently, his energy drained from the pleasure of the event. "Good. I'm...glad..."

Iason chuckled softly as his beloved drifted off, planting a kiss upon his lips once more before rising to go clean himself up and get a towel to wipe off Riki's body.

To Be Continued


	22. Uncertain Future

"Stand there," Raoul ordered, pointing to behind the chair at the head of the large table. "You will stand behind me during the meeting."

Katze nodded, falling into place behind the Blondie's chair without a word. He straightened his posture, smoothed his outfit and folded his hands elegantly behind his back.

Raoul laid out the material for the meeting in his place and then looked to the door as the clients arrived. He immediately went over to greet them and soon the meeting was underway.

Katze glanced over at the last person who entered and was sitting a bit abnormally in his chair. He seemed too fidgety to be in a meeting with the others. The main client had introduced him as a guest, but why was he so...fidgety? Slowly, Katze began to move away from Raoul, heading closer to the curve of the table so he was more proximate to the man as the meeting continued.

Raoul vaguely raised an eyebrow for a millisecond but disregarded the act and continued conducting the meeting flawlessly.

"And so, with this new prototype, I believe that the pet market will—"

"No!" the sketchy man shrieked, bolting up to his feet and aiming a large gun straight at Raoul's head. "If you take those creatures from their habitats they will go extinct! Your chimera shit be damned! You're killing a species for your worthless scientific creation!"

"Mark, what are you doing?" the main client demanded. "Put that—"

"I swear I will shoot him unless you destroy the proposition!" Mark screamed, adjusting his hold on the gun so it was ready to fire straight in between Raoul's eyes. "If it takes killing you off, I'll do what I must!"

Katze swooped in behind the man just as he was about to shoot and wrapped his arm around his neck, effectively placing him in a choke hold. "Drop it," he hissed, grasping painfully onto the man's wrist with his other hand until the man yelped and the gun dropped to the floor. "Go to sleep, just go to sleep..."

Mark panicked, clawing at the arm around his neck before dropping down slowly to the floor with the aid of Katze.

Raoul blinked, the speed of the whole incident taking even him by surprise. But more importantly, he was utterly shocked and impressed by Katze's fast skills.

"Are you all right, Master?" Katze inquired, looking up to the Blondie as the main client rushed over to his friend.

Raoul nodded. "I am fine."

Security entered into the room, hauling away the man and the gun as he was placed into custody as his fate remained in the hands of the Blondie.

The Blondie waited until the redhead and him were alone before he grasped onto his chin and looked into the eyes that were staring up with confusion. "Are you all right? How did you do that so quickly?"

Katze paused. "I'm unsure, it...it just happened." His brow knitted together into a deep frown. "My body...just acted accordingly. I sensed he was...off."

Raoul's eyes narrowed and he wrapped his arm around the redhead's waist. "Come, we are going home." He collected his items and pulled Katze along with him out of the room.

"What would you prefer done with him, my Lord?" the captain of the security squad inquired.

"Have him delivered to this address, sedated," Raoul demanded, handing over a small tablet card. "I want to deliver punishment upon him."

"And him?" He motioned to the main client.

"Ensure he completes the transaction and then send him as well," the Blondie decided. "I want them both."

—

Iason rose silently from the bed, wobbling to his feet as Jupiter attacked his brain once again. She was becoming utterly ruthless in her goal to get him to respond without knowing his location. He unsteadily grasped onto a glass and poured wine in it, before downing it all rather quickly in attempt to ease the aching.

Riki stirred, glancing up in the dark room to see the silhouette of the Blondie hunched over the bar, leaning on his hands. He slipped out of the bed, padding over to him and gently wrapped his arms around his waist. "Hey..." he whispered, shocked as Iason actually jolted a bit. "Hey... Iason?"

The Blondie slowly pushed off from the bar and then wrapped his arms around Riki. "Jupiter is..." he whispered painfully, knowing that Riki would understand.

"Come back to bed," Riki beckoned softly, gently guiding the blonde back to the warmth he had left. He crawled back in, wincing a bit as a slight ache pulsed through his ribs, but then vanished. "Come here."

Iason slipped in beside him, spooning behind the mongrel and gently holding him close. He placed one hand lightly against the tanned chest and nuzzled his face into Riki's nape. "Thank you, Riki."

"Just relax and sleep," Riki commanded softly, entwining his good hand with Iason's free one as he pushed back against him more.

—

Raoul entered the lab, leading Katze through and straight to the examination table. "Lay down on it," he instructed.

Katze hesitated, but soon found himself strapped against the metallic table. "Is there something wrong with me, Master?"

"No," Raoul immediately answered, flicking a syringe and then grabbing a cleansing wipe. "Nothing at all." He wiped the area and then inserted the needle, surprised when Katze didn't even flinch while he was like this. "There is nothing wrong at all."

"Then what are you giving me?"

"That was a vitamin shot," Raoul lied smoothly, pulling another cart of supplies closer. "And now some experimental drugs." The portal door opened and another young boy in the proper furniture attire entered. "You, get on this table."

The boy nodded, after a brief flash of fear hit him. He climbed onto the other examination table and allowed himself to be strapped on and then Raoul injected him with the first drug from the table. "Have I displeased you, Master?" the boy squeaked in fright.

"No, you are a fine furniture, but I require answers."

Katze frowned. "You have two furniture, Master?"

Raoul injected the same drug into Katze. "I will provide answers for you later." He stepped back, watching the clock tick down. "I am running out of time, and you shall provide answers for me."

—

Riki softly walked to Iason's office, then knocked on the door. "Hey, are you busy?"

"No," Iason answered gently. "Come here." He opened his arms wide to envelope his mongrel into him. "Did you sleep well? Are you hurting?" His advanced eyes skimmed the topless boy's bandage that was designed to numb the pain and accelerate healing, then he grasped gently onto the bandaged hand.

"I'm fine," Riki assured, wrapping his free arm around Iason's neck and snuggling closer to him. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Of course," the blonde nodded. "What is it that you want to speak with me about?"

"Are..." he started, then lost his courage for a second. "Are you going back?"

Iason stiffened. "Eventually Jupiter will find me through Raoul."

Riki slumped. "I knew it..."

Iason caressed the tanned cheek. "I wish you would come back with me, Riki. I'll never get to see you if you stay here," he pointed out.

"Why...why did you come here in the first place?"

"What do you mean?"

"You..." Riki sighed. "You could have left me, signaled Jupiter and—"

"No!" Iason objected, hugging the mongrel closer then whispered lowly. "They would have killed you, Riki. They would have killed you."

"So you gave up everything just to save a pet?" Riki challenged.

"Riki, you are much more than a pet to me," Iason countered, pushing back to stare into the dark eyes. "Do you not understand that because I love you, I was willing to lose everything?"

"But...but I'm a pet!"

"No," he whispered. "You are not anymore."

Riki paused. "So...you're setting me free then?"

"Yes, I am setting you free from your title as my pet," Iason announced, kissing Riki's hand. "But will you not still stay by my side ? Are you really going to run away from me again?"

The mongrel hesitated. "I'll...I'll stay with you..." he decided. "Until... you need to leave. Then...then we part ways." He gritted his teeth. "I can't...go back."

Iason felt a sharp pain in his chest, but he masked the hurt. "If that is what you truly wish."

—

Raoul watched the scene, his hearing switched off, allowing him relief from the screaming furniture who were writhing in agony. He had administered the potent stimulation and reversal drug that was laced with a heavy aphrodisiac to both of them. But it appeared to be do nothing shy of torturing the two eunuchs. From what he could observe, his furniture was screaming at the top of his lung in agony as opposed to Katze who was squirming while occasionally releasing a moaning scream.

He reached out, grasping onto the redhead's chin and watched as the dark eyes glistened and his lips convulsed. He wanted to know if pain was all that was being felt. Raoul switched on his hearing again and listened to the sounds as he ran his hand down Katze's body, gliding to his area void of manhood.

"Ah! Uuuurk!" Katze gasped, then hissed in pain. "Stop...this, Master!"

Raoul brushed his gloved hand under Katze's eyes, wiping away the tears. His other hand snaked down into the redhead's pants, gently caressing the smooth area. He blinked in shock as he watched Katze shiver in pleasure, before it was masked with a whimper and jolt. It was working. The powerful drug was just barely beginning to rebuild the networks that had been severed. Any normal person would be in a state of immense pleasure and climaxing nonstop, but Katze had responded to the drug. Just a bare minimum response, but something was there.

"Please!" Katze yelped.

Taking pity on the redhead, Raoul injected him with the antidote and watched Katze's taut body slowly relax. He did the same for his own furniture, who was nearly unconscious due to the agony. After he freed his own furniture and laid him down on a small examination cot, he unhooked Katze who was barely awake and carried him to a separate table. Carefully, he laid him down on the table and took his pulse and then laid a cool cloth on the panting young man's forehead. When he was sure he would be fine, he called for a droid assistant and had it carry his furniture back to his premise. Then he left his lab through the portal, carrying Katze through his home and then placing him in his guestroom. That way he could better check on him while he planned his next tests while resting at home.

His wristband beeped, then a notification screen stating the clients had been delivered to their punishment cells popped up. "I will be back soon," he whispered, running his gloved fingers through the red hair before he pulled back and wondered why he had done the action. He shook his head and proceeded to the area where the clients had been delivered. He entered the room, a feral smile slipping onto his face as he saw the gunman had woken up and was screaming into his gag.

—

Riki looked out at the view, still mesmerized by the lush green color that was before him as opposed to the city lights as it should be. He slumped, resting his arms against the railing, surprised when his ribs didn't ache. His cigarette dropped ash down, sending it fluttering in the light morning breeze to the land below silently. He perked up as he heard the faint voice of Iason, and another voice filled with concern. Discarding his cigarette, he headed to the sound of the voice he was trained to respond to and found Iason conversing with a screen with Raoul's face on it.

"It is inevitable, Raoul," Iason assured, sitting calmly at his desk despite Raoul's uneasiness. "Jupiter has called you out, because she knows that you are the last link to me." He caught sight of Riki and patted his lap. "She knows of our closeness."

Riki scowled at the action and slowly made his way to Iason, then sat down in his lap.

Raoul frowned at the unwanted presence. "Are you certain that you are wanting me to do this? I can attempt to purge my mind of the information of your whereabouts if you wish to slow her down."

Iason shook his head and pulled Riki closer. "Do not anger her further." He planted a soft kiss on Riki's forehead. "The fact she is calling you out now proves that she has gathered enough information to bring me safely home and she will not cause you harm."

The green eyed Blondie nodded. "Very well. I will meet with her at the planned time."

"If you wish to speak to me afterwards, you can still reach me. However, she might be invading my mind relentlessly at that point in time." He felt Riki stiffen in his arms and gave a reassuring squeeze. "There might not be much to speak about."

"Will do."

Iason tapped the keyboard and the screen vanished. "Did you have a relaxing smoke on the balcony?"

"Yeah..." Riki murmured, a sigh escaping.

"What's wrong, love?" Iason inquired, caressing his face.

"Are you really leaving?"

Iason nodded. "Yes, when Jupiter locates me, I will return."

Riki gripped onto Iason's shirt front, but said nothing. He wanted to return with Iason, but he couldn't. He had gained his freedom, finally. He was free from his title of a pet here and he couldn't bring himself to give it up. But his heart ached when he thought of never seeing Iason again.

"Come," Iason whispered, rising and propping up Riki to a standing position. "I received a notification that the village is having a festival of some sort this evening. Why don't we soak in the hot tub and relax this afternoon and attend later?"

—

"Kay," Riki agreed.

Cal hurried to the door, answering it while his two Masters had just headed up to the hot tub. "Yes?"

"Delivery for Iason Mink?" the man announced, holding out the smallish package.

"Yes," Cal nodded, accepting the package and then signing in place of his Master. "Thank you."

The man bowed. "Have a good day, Sir."

Cal cringed at being called Sir, as it was not something he would ever be accustomed to and stared at the package in his hands, examining the label of the company and gasped slightly. He heard the sound of someone approaching and hid the parcel inside a secret drawer in the kitchen island. He attempted to look as if he was just finishing up the snacks he was going to bring to the two Masters just as Riki walked in, shirtless. "Ah, Riki, is there something I can get for you?"

"Nope," Riki denied, grabbing a fresh pack of cigarettes from his jacket that was hanging by the front door. "Just wanted these for after."

"I—I see," Cal nodded, relieved that Riki hadn't come down two seconds before and grasped onto the tray. "Excuse me as I follow you back with this."

Riki stared at him for a moment. "Everything all right?"

"Yes, just was wondering if I should add more fruit to the platter," Cal lied, looking down at the tray.

"Is there any of those quar stuff on it?"

Cal smiled softly. "Yes, there are qariopaya slices for you."

"Then it's good," Riki grinned, observing the heap of the fruit slices. "Holy shit, you cut a lot."

"I thought you would want plenty of them, as you seemed to enjoy them."

"Thanks," Riki grinned. "I do like them."

"My pleasure." Cal followed behind Riki, perfectly delivering the tray of fruit, wine and wine glasses to the hot tub and sauna area of the home. "Where would you like this, Master?"

"Here is fine," Iason directed, pointing to the ledge of the hot tub.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"That should be all, Cal," Iason answered with a soft smile as he saw Riki eye up the qariopaya eagerly. "You're free to do as you wish until I call for you."

Cal bowed. "Thank you, Master. I hope you both enjoy yourselves." He turned and hurried back down to the kitchen and recovered the parcel. He couldn't help but feel mixed emotions for Riki, who he couldn't fathom how he would react to the parcel if it was what he thought it was. Stealthily, he headed up to Iason's office and slipped it into his desk drawer, before heading to grab some fresh towels for his Masters to have readily available to them after their soak.

To Be Continued


	23. Confessions of the Heart

Raoul examined his furniture, irked as he showed nothing similar to Katze. No change in attitude or demeanor—nothing. Why was it only Katze? And why had he touched the redhead so familiarly? He understood that he was becoming increasingly fascinated by him, but was it merely fascination?

"Master?" the young boy questioned, hurt in his voice.

"Retire to your quarters until I call for you," he instructed, then handed over an opiate. "And take this and rest."

The boy nodded and bowed, effectively leaving the presence of the Blondie.

Raoul headed through his home, stopping at the guest room and peeking inside once again to check on Katze. He was still asleep, which was probably for the better as he was in great agony during the test. Carefully, Raoul held a thin smooth plastic device to the young man's skin and waited for it to detect how much pain relief was still in his system. The amount was wearing off, so Raoul administered another half syringe of a mild liquid reliever and then left Katze alone.

Just as he was about to head to his office, a wave of disorientation hit him. He barely caught himself before he fell.

I require a hearing with you, Jupiter's voice demanded inside his head, completely paralyzing his systems. You are to report to me as soon as you are able to.

Yes, Raoul answered. I understand. He grasped his temple with his fingertip, attempting to ease the ache from the brutal and unpredictable attack. Never had he felt something a simple request be so powerful from Jupiter in his mind. If that hurt him, he couldn't fathom how much Iason was going through. He didn't hesitate a moment and went to secretly notify Iason before hurrying to meet his Creator's demand.

—

Riki leaned back against the hot tub ledge and sighed in bliss. "I need to use this more often."

"We couldn't before with all your casts, but now you can," Iason agreed, positioning himself closer to his beloved.

"Don't," Riki grumbled. "It's too hot and we'll stick together."

"I want to be close to you."

Riki grumpily sighed, letting the blonde have his way. "Whatever."

Iason leaned his head back and allowed himself to relax alongside the mongrel for awhile. "What do you want to do at the festival? I read that there will be all sort of booths set up to shop from and then fireworks late into the night."

"I don't have any money," Riki reminded. "So I don't really know what to do."

"Naturally I'll buy you anything you want," Iason reassured, opening his eyes to glance over at the relaxed mongrel. "You'll let me buy you something, won't you?"

Riki sighed. "Whatever."

"Why are you upset with me?" Iason inquired, sitting up.

"I'm not," Riki denied hastily.

"You are."

"I'm not!" Riki growled, rising up and crawling over the hot tub ledge, before snatching up a towel and heading to the sauna.

He opened the door and slipped inside, immediately hit with the thick steam and scents that were mixed into it. He threw down the towel on the wooden bench and then sat down, breathing deeply.

Riki was upset. He was torn as to what to do. He wanted to be with Iason, but all he could be was his pet when in Eos. There was no way he could go back to that.

Despite the fact that Iason had thrown away everything to save him, he couldn't bring himself to repay him by going back as his pet once again. If there was any other way, he would do it. He owed Iason yet again and this time it was going to be hard to pay him back if he left him alone on this planet. He leaned back, sighing deeply before glancing up as the door to the sauna opened and Iason appeared in all of his nude glory. Without a word, he entered and sat down right next to Riki. Riki cringed, waiting for some punishment of some kind for storming away from the blonde.

"I do not wish to part from you, Riki," Iason spoke in the softest of voices. "I do not want for us to be separated."

Riki bit his lip, wanting so badly to say that he didn't want to either. But he was free now, he had choices! "I know," he finally acknowledged. "But Iason...I can't..." He paused, inhaling a shaky breath. "I can't go back to that. We aren't...we aren't in a normal relationship."

"How would I make it normal for you?" Iason inquired, looking at Riki with his skin glistening from the moisture.

"Y...you can't," he dismissed. "We aren't a normal pairing and there is no way for us to ever be."

Iason's face flickered with hurt briefly, before it was masked. "I see. So there is truly nothing I can do?"

"Iason," Riki sighed. "You...kidnapped me and hurt me in various ways for three years. You fucked me up inside and made it so I..."

"So you...?"

Riki shook his head, horrified he almost admitted that he needed Iason to survive. "I'm broken," he concluded. "You fucked me up inside and now that I'm truly free this time, I'm not going back." He ground his teeth, forcing himself to choke down his plea to Iason to let him come back with him but not as a pet.

Iason nodded. "I understand," he softly agreed, but added. "But what if you were to come back with me, but not as my pet?"

—

You have been hiding from me, Jupiter accused. How could you stay silent in such times?

Raoul felt his body tremble slightly within the open chamber. Forgive me, but I was remaining loyal to Iason's request. A wave of electricity shocked him and he winced. I was to remain silent until you called upon me.

Jupiter floated forward, turning Raoul's chamber to show him the others. Do you not see the consequences of your brothers who have betrayed me? Raoul felt nothing but numbing fear as he saw the heads of several Blondie's detached from their bodies. They were suspended by wires within the plasma liquid chambers and connected to life support so the human brains within would not perish. I have gone through all of their brains. Every piece of connective tissue, synapse and every neuron to piece together the crime they have committed against me in greed. She pressed her hands to Raoul's face. Now I require Iason's location, which you possess.

Raoul shivered, the familiar feeling of Jupiter invading his brain commencing. His body started to shake as she tampered with his functions and gained access into the very core of his mind. It took all of his strength to not scream.

Then it stopped. The pain disappearing in an instant as Jupiter witnessed the memories of Raoul speaking to Iason. He could almost feel Jupiter's relief that her favored son was alive and well. She collected everything she wanted, then let go of him.

You were loyal to Iason, Jupiter agreed. However, you have betrayed me as well. You are to be loyal to me. I am your Creator.

Forgive me, Jupiter.

Jupiter seemed to soften. I will spare you the fate of your brothers.

If he could have, Raoul would have wept with relief. Thank you, Jupiter.

You are dismissed, she decided. I am bringing Iason back immediately.

—

Riki toweled off and then slipped into the robe that was hanging up for him. He popped a piece of qariopaya in his mouth and then tied his sash. He was still brewing over what Iason had said earlier. It was as if the Blondie had read his mind, but when he asked what he meant, Iason suddenly went quiet. If only what he had said was possible. Riki did truly love Iason, even though he had a hard time admitting it. But he couldn't go back to being the ancient piece of trash pet that he was.

He was irritated out of his mind that Iason had said that and then went quiet. He stormed inside, nearly taking out Cal who was coming to get him.

"Master Riki!" he called, hurrying after him. "I have your festival outfit prepared."

"Where's Iason?" he demanded.

Cal paled slightly and scurried over to block him from finding the blonde. He had told Iason of his parcel that arrived and Iason had told him under no circumstances was Riki to know because he might try and run away again. "He's busy with a sudden call from Master Am," he lied, moving his body back and forth in the doorway. "He instructed us to not interrupt him."

"Move," Riki growled. He was getting to the bottom of this right now.

"I cannot let you!" Cal insisted, desperately trying to stand his ground.

"I said move, Cal!" Riki lurched forward, pushing Cal into the wall as he proceeded forward.

Cal hit the wall with a loud thud and slumped down briefly, before hopping up and wincing.

"Riki!" Iason bellowed, suddenly appearing and taking in the scene. "What has gotten into you?" He saw Cal who was hobbling up from his fallen position. "You even hurt Cal!"

Riki charged forward, grasping onto the blonde's silken robe. "Tell me what you meant in the sauna!"

"It was a mere thought," Iason lied. "I spoke before I realized the reality of our situation." He pried Riki's hands off. "You made it very clear that you don't wish to return."

"I would!" Riki blurted, then paled at his own admitting. "I would...if I wasn't your pet..."

Iason blinked, calm as ever. "That is not possible with the rules in place."

Riki's hands curled into fists. "Then you are going back alone," he reminded, turning away from Iason and approaching Cal. "I'm sorry..."

"Oh, do not worry, I'm fine!" Cal assured, then decided to attempt to disperse the tension and motioned back to the bedroom. "I'll show you how to wear your outfit."

—

Iason pinched the bridge of his nose, the parcel's contents secured in his outfit's pockets. If Raoul was being questioned by Jupiter then she would locate him by tomorrow and if he refused he would be apprehended. He was going to commit a serious violation, he was going to blackmail Jupiter. If she didn't agree to his new terms he would flee with Riki. It was a huge crime, but he was going to commit it if it meant Riki staying with him.

"What the fuck is this?" Riki growled, entering the room in the crimson colored traditional robe outfit of Astreitania. "It's like a housecoat!"

Iason grinned. "It's a ceremonial piece worn at this festival by the men."

Riki scanned Iason's which was a deep midnight blue with a sash that had sewn in patterns like his. "Yours looks good, mine is...just awkward."

"I think you look wonderful," Iason assured, striding over to him and pulling him close and stroking the stray hair back into place. "Shall we go now?"

"Yeah," Riki agreed, averting his eyes.

—

Riki couldn't help but gasp in awe at the booths that lined the main vein of the village. Each one was a different vibrant color, decorated with flower petals, ferns, vines and other vegetation. The air was brimming with scents of food, plants and ceremonial smoke from incense and smudges. Various people in vibrant dresses and outfits were dancing to music produced by loud drums and tambourines in a center stage in the middle of the booth strip. "Wow..." he whispered, pausing for a moment behind Iason. The market in Eos was always full of booths and music, but this was on a whole new level. Even their normal market was cheerful, but today the people seemed ecstatic.

"Quite something, isn't it?" Iason smiled, twining his fingers with Riki's.

"Hey," Riki panicked, glancing around as he tried to tug his fingers free. "Lemme go."

"No one judges in this society, you need not worry," Iason assured.

Riki then noticed that several couples, both male and female were holding hands and acting like lovers in public. He hesitated, but finally ceased his futile attempt. "Now what?"

"Let's walk the main strip," Iason suggested. "See if there is anything you'd like. Then we can go and watch a few of the showings." He glanced down at Riki. "There is a sunset ceremonial dance we could watch."

"Sure, whatever," Riki answered, hiding his eagerness to go and walk around and take in the experience.

Iason nodded, "Let's go." He pulled Riki closer, wrapping his arm around his waist. "Don't get lost."

They had wondered up and down the main strip until the sky was turning darker, trying various delicious smelling foods and fancy drinks. Iason bought Riki a belt that was handwoven by the locals and had various precious gems that were believed to bring happiness and health intertwined within the leather. The clasp was also made of a gold metal that was in the shape of a bird with its wings spread, allowing the good fortune to be bestowed upon the owner.

With a local delicacy food in his free hand, Iason led Riki to the stage area where the sunset ceremonial dance had just started. There were female dancers were painted in glowing tribal markings on the skin that was revealed between their two piece outfits. While the men entered juggling and dancing with fire, sending sparks into the night while in rhythm with the music.

Riki watched, nibbling on his treat and wondering how long the men would have to train to play with fire that well. Suddenly the men poured some powder into the torches, changing the flames to greens, purples and blues. They seemed to fan the flames into the darkness above were it hung and danced like aurora borealis. It was beautiful and mysterious. And then suddenly various animals appeared within the glowing lights. A wolf manifested and chased after a deer who scurried away, leaping from the smoke in the air and running around the ring of people before escaping back into the fire brewing in the middle of the ring. The wolf ran around a few more times, before leaping overtop of the crowd and disappearing.

Riki was perplexed as to how they did it, as he could see through the apparition, but there were no laser or projectors. Several more animals made an appearance within the smoke, before a large tigress like beast and her cubs leaped out and frolicked and played in the circle before having a showdown between her and another later beast that appeared. It struck fear into him, even though it wasn't real. Iason had sensed his tension, gently pulling him close in reassurance.

The tigress roared, leaping up and attacking the other beast while her cubs scurried to safety in the far corner of the ring of viewers. The two beasts rolled around, snarling and growling as they fought. Finally, the tigress managed to fight off the other beast, sending it back up into the smoke in the middle of the ring as the people cheered.

Riki found himself smiling in relief as the tigress and her cubs were reunited before they two scampered back up into the middle and disappeared. And then he watch in awe as two large birds with glowing stripes flew overtop the fire and glided around the ring and through the night sky in perfect harmony. They swirled around each other, as if they were two spirits gliding up into the heavens. More emerged from behind the smoke and and the crowd cheered happily as birds flew in a pattern that seemed to be weaving elegant patterns with their glowing markings. Then all at once, they flew upwards, spinning around and round before they swooped back down and caught batons glowing red thrown by the female dancers and passed them to another designated dancer who then threw the baton up for another bird to catch. They continued to catch and throw them up three more times before the birds flew towards the centre, dropping them into the flames and flying away.

The fire lit up brightly, sending bright sparks of all color up into the night sky as if it were stars that were bursting. The crowd broke into cheers at the mesmerizing scene while the performers finished their routine just as the last one exploded.

Riki found himself clapping alongside the others, completely taken aback by performance he had just witnessed. He was so stunned and amazed by the show, wondering how they had done it.

"Did you enjoy that?" Iason whispered, after people began dispersing.

"It was cool," Riki offered, not willing to truly say how much he enjoyed it. It seemed to have gone by so fast, but the show was actually an hour long.

"Come," Iason commanded softly. "I want to show you something before the fireworks begin."

—

Raoul stumbled back to his residence, his mind racing. Jupiter had done a number on him when she sucked all of the information of Iason out of his brain. He was exhausted, something he had never experienced before.

Entering into his home, he made his way to the guest room to check on Katze. When he peeked in, he was shocked to see the redhead actually awake. "How are you doing?" he inquired, settling down into a chair.

"I am fine, Master," he answered back, almost causing Raoul to sigh.

The ex-Furniture was still damaged, and he had no idea how to fix that. But he would try his hardest, or else Iason would probably chop his head off. Perhaps there was some other way to shock him back to his normal self?

"Assist me in undressing in my room," Raoul ordered, weakly rising from his chair.

Katze slipped out from the bed and hurried after the slow moving and wobbling Blondie.

—

"Wow..." Riki breathed, staring out at the waters that were lit up. They appeared to be a clear teal colour, even though everywhere around them was darkness. "How do they do that?"

"I believe it's a powder," Iason explained, dipping his hand into the pond in front of the elegant gazebo.

Riki stared into the bottom of the deep pool, eyeing up the bunch of circles of different shades. "What are the things on the bottom?"

Iason reached into one of his pockets and pulled out two coins. "These are the ceremonial wish coins," he answered. "You toss them in and if the coin sinks to the bottom and remains shining then your wish will come true."

"How would it not stay shining?"

"The powder," Iason reminded, handing off the coin. "Reacts with the coin. Supposedly, if your wish is impossible, it will darken and if it will happen, it will stay the same." He looked at Riki's concerned face. "Would you like to try it with me?"

"Sure," he answered softly, rolling the coin around in his hand and closed his eyes.

"Hold the coin tightly, let your heart say your wish and then repeat it for ten seconds," Iason instructed.

Riki held the coin in his hand, surprised that only one wish invaded his mind. He wanted to be with Iason. That was all he could think of, was how he didn't want to be left here without Iason. How he didn't want to return with him as a pet, but something...something...

Iason grasped onto Riki's hand, startling him into opening his eyes. "Let's put them in together," he suggested.

Riki nodded and they both held out their hands, dropping them in at the same time. Riki watched his sink, desperately hoping it stayed shining.

When it finally touched the bottom, both coins were standing out brightly among those that had darkened.

"It worked," Riki murmured, fascinated and watched another person toss theirs in and hurried away unhappily as it darkened.

Iason smiled and pulled Riki close. "What did you wish for?" he whispered.

"I can't say it or it won't come true," Riki denied, but relaxed against the blonde. He wasn't letting that wish go to waste by spoiling it.

"The fireworks are going to start soon," Iason remembered, noticing that almost no one was left in the desolate spot. "Should we go see them?"

"Yeah," Riki agreed and rose, but was confused when Iason led him over to the gazebo. "Iason? Why are we here and not where the others are?"

Iason smiled softly, sitting Riki down on a wooden carved bench. "There is something I've been meaning to tell you," he whispered, crouching down in front of the mongrel.

Riki tensed in fear. "What?"

The blonde smiled again, gently caressing the mongrel's knee. "It's not bad, do not worry."

"OK..." Riki agreed, still plagued with uncertainty. "What is it?"

Iason straightened out, so he was on one knee before Riki. He then grasped onto the left tanned hand which was trembling slightly and caressed it with his thumb. "Riki," he began softly. "Before I met you, I felt that life was meaningless outside of my work." He looked into Riki's eyes that were racing with emotions. "I have not done very well in portraying how I truly feel about you, but I want that to change starting now."

Riki looked at Iason, swallowing hard. "What are you...?" he barely whispered.

Iason pulled out the small ring from his other pocket. "With this ring, I will become your partner and you shall be mine. The boundary of pet and master will dissolve permanently." He slid it lovingly on Riki's ring quivering finger, then held Riki's gaze. "Will you, Riki, return with me not as my pet, but as my partner and lover to Amoï?"

Riki was frozen, stunned into silence. It was exactly as he wished and it was exactly what he wanted to hear. He felt tears pool in his eyes and he barely managed to whisper his reply before he was in Iason's arms. "Yes," he whispered again, allowing Iason to kiss him passionately. He slid his fingers into the blonde hair and pushed back fiercely. "Yes...yes..."

Iason was ecstatic that Riki was responding so much, he had been worried Riki would have refused. "I love you, Riki," he whispered into his ear. "I know I haven't accurately shown you this, but I do. I have never loved someone, so I was uncertain of how to show you. But I—"

Riki kissed Iason into silence. "I get it," he answered, then grasped onto the pale left hand. "Yours?" The Blondie pulled out the other ring and Riki grasped onto it, sliding it onto the appropriate finger. "There..." He planted a kiss on the ornate gold ring, before pulling back and staring at his own.

"Now we match," Iason softly announced, grasping onto Riki's hand so their fingers were entwined. "I belong to you, and you belong to me."

"Yeah," Riki agreed softly, suddenly glancing up as the fireworks lit up the sky with a big explosion. He moved back in between Iason's legs in their fallen position on the ground and leaned against him as the watched the show from their view.

Iason wrapped his arms around Riki, kissing his nape gently and murmuring loving phrases to him until the sky was lit only with the starlight.

To Be Continued


	24. A New Life

Iason planted a kiss upon the tanned forehead as he carried him up the steps and into the home. Riki shifted, mumbling but didn't open his eyes and nuzzled into the Blondie.

Cal bowed silently, retreating as Iason waved him off as he stepped into the lift. The eunuch smiled as he saw the ring upon his master's finger that matched the one on Riki's. So the mongrel had accepted Iason after all? Cal headed into his living quarters, hoping that the rest of the night would go well.

Exiting the lift, Iason adjusted his hold on his mongrel, pulling him closer and smiling as Riki nuzzled into his nape more. He laid him down on the bed, planting a kiss on his forehead.

"Hnnnm..." Riki murmured, clutching onto Iason's ceremonial robe. He lazily opened his eyes, not saying anything as he stared sleepily into the icy blue orbs.

"You may go back to sleep," Iason whispered, stroking his black locks.

"Nn, don't wanna..." Riki yawned, stretching his limbs out slowly in a way Iason perceived as almost seductive.

Iason chuckled. "What do you want to do then?" he inquired.

Riki produced a lopsided grin. "Dunno..." he teased.

The Blondie blinked slowly, his seductive gaze revealing his lust. "Riki," he whispered. "May I hold you?"

Surprised and a bit touched Iason had asked him, Riki nodded apprehensively. He pulled open his disheveled outfit, revealing more of himself. He was still afraid of being hurt, but after what Iason had done early, he didn't think there would be a threat, but he still asked anyways. "...be gentle?"

Iason leaned lower, planting feather light kisses to Riki's neck. He worked his way up and planted several more onto his face and then ended with three soft, sensual kisses to his lips. "I'll be very gentle," he promised. "I will not harm you. We'll do as much or as little as you want."

"...kay," Riki agreed, still a bit worried, but only mildly as his hazy mind floated in the memories of their night. He closed his eyes, trying to enjoy the feeling of Iason touching him. "Nnn..."

The Blondie slid his hands down the tanned chest, throwing back any lingering pieces of the ceremonial robe. One hand gently rolled a nipple in its fingertips while the other hand went lower to stroke the timid erection.

Riki flinched, grasping onto Iason's hand. "Wait...wait...!" he whimpered, fear constricting his chest as the hand slid past his hips to caress his arousal. He sat up, watching the loving administrations from the Blondie to calm himself down. "A...ah..."

Iason gently pumped the withering erection to life, doing the motions he knew Riki liked best. "It's all right, Riki," he whispered, looking up to the dark eyes. "Does this not feel good? Am I not being gentle?"

"Y...you are," Riki agreed, averting his gaze and screwing his eyes shut while trying to calm himself. "It's...it's just..." God, he was being such a pussy!

Iason softly caressed the tanned face with one hand, while still stroking Riki's erection before gliding up his body. "Look at me, Riki," he commanded. Riki inhaled a shaky breath, before he opened his eyes to look at the Blondie, appalled he was still frightened to the point of almost tearing up. Iason leaned closer to the mongrel and kissed him ever so gently. "Can you feel this, Riki? Can you feel the pleasure I am giving you?"

Riki exhaled then bit his lip, nodding as a tear escaped.

"I'll rewrite all of the pain you endured," Iason whispered, slinking back downwards and gently pushing the mongrel back to the bed. "I only want you to have pleasure, Riki."

"A...ah!" the mongrel gasped, twisting as he felt a hot tongue tease his portal. He attempted to escape, but stopped as gentle hands stroked his sides and then his hips. He took a deep breath, trying to accept the feelings; Iason was the one touching him, he had promised to be gentle. Iason was only pleasuring him. Iason would stop if he truly wanted to. Iason, Iason, Iason...

He unintentionally twisted away again, reaching out to grab onto Iason's arms. "Iason!" he cried out, his chest constricting with uncontrollable fear. "Iason!"

Immediately the Blondie was up, kissing the mongrel gently while stroking the teary face. "I'm here, Riki," he whispered. "I'm here. You are safe with me."

Was he though? He wished he was, but sometimes he wasn't sure of his safety when it came to Iason. Riki gulped, closing his eyes and finally forced his fear into the deepest part of himself. "I'm sorry...D...do it," he whispered.

Planting a trail of kisses down the tanned body, Iason made his way back down to Riki's entrance. He gently inserted his tongue back into the quivering portal, pleasing the mongrel in the way he knew best.

"Ah, ohh...!" Riki moaned, grasping onto the sheet with one hand while his other hand still reached for the Blondie, settling for a the silky locks. "Oh fuck..Iason...!"

Satisfied with the results of his efforts, he eyed up the panting mongrel. He crawled back onto the bed and brought Riki up into his arms, sitting him in his lap. "Riki, my love," Iason whispered into the mongrel's ear. "May I show you how much I love you?"

Riki calmed himself, trying to stop his thighs from shaking around Iason's body. But he realized it wasn't completely in fear, but also anticipation. "Do it. Do it now," Riki agreed, the words a mere whisper that almost went unheard.

Iason gently slid his hand down Riki's back and a finger into the smaller male, deciding to allow him to adjust more and experience a deeper penetration to prepare him. He pressed it deep, stroking the insides and sending Riki quivering and gasping. Smiling, he slid another finger inside, moving them in such a fashion as to tease, pleasure and further prepare him.

"Ah, uhh, please!" Riki moaned, his head pressing into Iason's nape as his penis stood tall, poking into Iason while secreting fluid profusely. "Please, please, Iason!"

The Blondie removed his fingers, gliding the dripping digits onto his erection that was rubbing against Riki's stomach. He then lifted Riki up and positioned himself in the crease of Riki's ass. "I'm entering you, Riki," he warned, pressing himself to the entrance.

Riki's body tensed as the immense erection stretched him open again. He cried out first in pain but then relief, a sob escaping his lips as he felt the familiarity of Iason within him. It was a feeling he had learned to accept and crave, and oh how his body had been craving this feeling!

Iason leaned into him, their hot bodies burning into each other. He kissed the tear stained cheeks, hoping they were not only fear. "Oh Riki," he moaned lowly as he pressed inside. "You feel amazing inside..."

"U...uhh," Riki whimpered, his nails digging into the Blondie's back. He was fighting back another wave of fear, a flashback of being brutally raped filling his mind. Needing something to anchor him to this reality, he tightened his hug around Iason. "H...help..."

Momentarily shocked by the move, Iason paused but regained himself. "I'm here, love," he whispered, still not moving within the mongrel until he had calmed down. "It's only me, Riki. Only me. Only I can love you this way."

Riki sniffled, accepting a kiss that the Blondie offered. He pushed back fiercely, nearly choking from the lack of oxygen and the tears dripping into his mouth. "I...mmf...Iason..."

"Yes, love?"

"M...mmm...move," he pleaded, pushing back against the Blondie. With panting breath, he looked up into the blue eyes brimming lust. "I need it...I need..."

Iason nodded, wrapping his arms around Riki in a loving embrace. His fingers of one hand rested in the mongrel's dark locks while the other wrapped around him tenderly. He slowly thrust himself up into Riki, remaining gradual with his motions. It was beyond pleasurable to be inside his precious pet again. He subtly inhaled the scent of his pet, the familiar smells arousing him further. He had missed this feeling, this intimacy with Riki and was going to take everything slowly so he could enjoy all of it.

Riki moved in sync with Iason, nearly crying from relief. He was safe again, safe in Iason's arms with Iason holding him tight. He was in a blissful state, and he didn't even care that he was showing it. "Ah, oh God...!" he moaned, throwing his head back as the Blondie slid into him, filling him to the brim with the intense heat and pressure he always provided. "Nnngh, Iason...Iason..."

"I'm here, Riki," he assured, continuing his languid but deep movements. He wiped the tears from Riki's face, planting a kiss on the spot where it was. "Don't cry, my love."

"Kuu..." Riki whimpered, more tears streaming from his eyes. He was a mess of emotions; relief, dulled fear, pleasure and happiness just from being held by Iason after all this time. He caught pressed his lips to Iason's slipping his tongue inside and gliding it around with the Blondie's in a soft, sensual way that caused him to shudder. Iason halted inside him as they eagerly drank of each others' sweetness, until Riki pulled back while panting with saliva dripping from his lips. He brought his face to Iason's neck, planting a soft kiss on the pale skin before whispering in a barely audible voice. "I love you..."

Iason looked up to the ceiling, a feeling of sheer happiness hitting him hard. He felt his throat tighten at the confession and embraced Riki tighter, kissing him all over his face and nape. "As do I," he whispered. "I have always loved you, Riki." He closed his eyes, relishing in the blissful moment with his beloved, praying that it wouldn't end.

—

"How dare you hide from me," Jupiter scolded.

Iason lazily opened his eyes, the feeling of Jupiter's mental presence causing a headache to attack his brain. 'I apologize, but I had to protect Riki until you knew the truth,' he answered solemnly, wincing in pain.

"You would sacrifice yourself and your connection to me over a pet?"

'He is my essence, Jupiter,' he calmly explained. 'Without him I am nothing, I am incomplete when he is absent.'

Jupiter remained quiet for a moment. "Are you certain of this?"

'Yes.' Again she was quiet, as if puzzled by the bold confession. Iason seized the opportunity to lay down his conditions. 'I will not return to you unless you agree to some terms to protect my relationship with him.'

"You dare challenge me, Iason?"

"Only to protect the one I love." He could feel Jupiter's hurt, his betrayal and now challenging. It made him want to apologize, but he knew it was now or never to define his special relationship with his pet.

"Very well, name your conditions."

'Firstly, Riki will no longer be my pet,' Iason started, planting a kiss on the mongrel's forehead and holding him close as he was laying on his chest. ' Secondly, he will bear a special status on the same level as an Elite. Thirdly, he will be my named as my pairing partner and therefore anything that belongs to me will be divided with him.' He paused to see if Jupiter was going to protest, then continued. 'And this will all be documented, publicly known and approved by you or I will not be returning to you or Amoi.' He knew it was risky to add the last part, but he had to use leverage.

There was a long silence as Jupiter seemed to digest and process everything. Finally after a painfully long minute of silence and a sharp pain in his brain, the Artificial Intelligence spoke. "You dare to use such methods against me, Iason," she scolded, then added. "I agree to your conditions. But you must agree to mine as well."

Iason felt relief and fear at that statement, but relaxed as the pain finally subsided from his head. 'Very well. What are your conditions?'

"Firstly, you will return on the shuttle I am sending to your location as we speak," Jupiter listed. "Secondly, you will have mandatory hearings with me every week. Thirdly, your pet will undergo training on Elite etiquette if he is to be in such a position. Fourthly, I want to examine him and implant the new status ID within him."

"I must be present for that, or I refuse."

"You do not trust me with him?"

"I trust no one with him, Jupiter."

She seemed to accept that precaution. "Very well. Are we at an agreement then for you to return?"

"We are," he confirmed.

"When you return, meet with me," she advised. "Our first hearing will commence at that time."

"Thank you, Jupiter." He felt her reply to him, then her presence vanish, leaving him with a warmth that seemed to rejuvenate his body and mind. He smiled and planted a kiss on Riki's nose, anxious to see how his beloved would react to this new set up.

—

Riki inhaled the air once more, enjoying the freshness that seemed to purify his soul. He was going to miss this place, but Iason had assured him that they would return, so he could live with that.

"Ready to go?" Iason inquired, slipping behind Riki and wrapping his arms around him.

"Yeah," Riki murmured, titling his head to catch the kiss that was waiting for him. "I still can't believe you managed to bargain with that old toaster." He glanced over at the shuttle, watching Cal hand off their final belongings which were then stored away.

Iason grinned. "Jupiter is a highly complex Artificial Intelligence, not a device that warms bread," he lightly scolded, sliding his hand up Riki's chest. "You'd better not say anything like that when we return. Now that you'll be of Elite status, you must treat Jupiter with respect."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"I mean it, Riki."

"Whatever," Riki huffed, twisting around to look up at Iason. "You gotta give me time to adjust!"

Iason nodded, caressing Riki's nipple in one hand. "Very well, I'll teach you slowly."

Riki shivered. "Don't we have to board soon?" he questioned, leaning back into Iason.

"Yes," Iason agreed, bringing his administrations to a halt. "We'll continue then."

Riki shivered again, but in anticipation for that long trip home. He glanced back at their home, wondering if they'd ever come back and enjoy it. He truly did like it here and was very grateful for Iason bringing him here to recover. It helped him immensely and created many fond memories for him to reflect on. He took a deep breath, then looked back at Iason who was waiting to board.

Iason reached out his hand, taking Riki's into his own and leading him into the shuttle. "Our new life awaits us, love," he whispered, planting a kiss upon Riki's forehead and guiding him to his seat so the shuttle could begin to take them back to Amoi. They had no idea what kind of new surprises were awaiting their arrival.

—

A/N: I know it's short and it's the ending of this story. But it's not the ending of the rest of the story as you probably guessed. This is the only soft spot to end this...this...volume (?) of the series. As in next one...you're gonna be shocked at what has become of Amoi. Anyways, the story picks up right where we left off here. Please look forward to it! ❤︎ *bows*


End file.
